When Things Get Messy
by Mobgirl
Summary: A phone call in the middle of the night changes Jason Morgan's life and the lives of the people he loves.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**__** This story is separate from any others I have written. Robin is married to Patrick but they do not have any children. Jason and Sam are good friends and work together for Sonny. They are not romantically involved. I do not own GH or any of the characters and I do not make any money on this or any other story. It is strictly for fun because I love GH!**_

_**When Things Get Messy**_

Jason woke up immediately. He recognized the special ring on his phone dedicated to Sonny. He glanced at the clock as he reached for the phone. 3:20 am. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good. Unexpected calls in the middle of the night never brought good news. Jason was used to working at all hours of the day or night, but it was always planned. Sonny would ask him to check a shipment, forcefully correct an employee problem, or complete a hit; whatever Sonny needed done Jason would do. As he flipped open the phone he knew this was not going to be good. Unfortunately, he was correct.

"Yeah Sonny" Jason answered fully awake.

"Get to my house now!" Sonny ordered.

"I'll be there in 20" Jason assured him and hung up. He jumped out of bed and quickly pulled his clothes from the closet. He did not need the light. He knew where everything was in the closet. There was very little variety in his wardrobe anyway. He wore jeans and a black t-shirt unless attending a special event.

Jason hurried downstairs and got his gun box from the top shelf of the closet. He slid the clip into his 9 mm and put it in his waistband. Then he grabbed his leather jacket and keys from the desk as he hurried out the door.

In the parking garage Jason passed his bike which was his preferred transportation. Instead he got into his SUV and headed for Sonny's. He wasn't sure was he was going to find when he got there. Since Sonny called in the middle of the night, it would be major. The SUV would allow him to haul passengers or bodies as the case may be.

Jason Morgan did not enjoy killing people. It was something he had to do sometimes and he was very efficient at it. Every time he had killed someone it was because they were a threat. Usually that threat was directed at Sonny. Being a mob boss Sonny was used to attempts on his life; that was just how the business was. Other times the threats were directed at Sonny's ex-wife Carly or their two boys Michael and Morgan. Their survival depended on how good his enforcer was. Luckily for them Jason was the best enforcer on the whole east coast. He would literally do anything to protect the people he loved. He loved Sonny and his family. Outside of that, the circle was very small.

The guard was waiting at the gate when Jason pulled up. He opened the gate immediately when he recognized Jason. He glanced around quickly before heading inside and was glad that everything was calm and quiet. Since things seemed secure at the moment Jason did not pull his gun as he entered the house.

"Where's Sonny?" Jason asked Max. Max and his brother Milo were Sonny's two most trusted bodyguards. Max was still in his suit and that surprised Jason. "You sleep in that thing?"

"I was working the gate this morning when Ms. Scorpio arrived." Max told him.

Jason stopped dead in his tracks. His heart began pounding so loudly in his chest that he briefly wondered if Max could hear it. Robin was here? 3:45 in the morning and Robin was here. This was not sounding good at all.

"Is she alright?" Jason asked urgently. They were no longer a couple. They had split up 7 years ago but had maintained a close friendship. On the few occasions that they discussed their past relationship with anyone else, they would say that they could never be able to fully explain to anyone just how much they had meant to each other. He didn't mind though. He didn't care what anyone else thought. He and Robin knew how much their history meant to them and so did Sonny. That was all that mattered.

"She's in the study with Mr. C. She isn't making much sense right now." Max told him quietly. He hated giving Jason bad news. He wasn't afraid of Jason, in fact they had a great deal of respect for each other. However, he did know that Robin was very special to him and Mr. C.

Jason nodded and headed to the study. He opened the door and walked in. Sonny was sitting on the couch next to Robin with his arm lightly over her shoulder. It was seeing Robin that worried him. She appeared dazed to him. It reminded him of when he had found her in the train after the wreck. Initially she had been uncounscious. When she woke a few minutes later she had been dazed and unsure of her surroundings. Next he noticed that she was wrapped in a blanket and holding a drink that Sonny must have poured for her. He was pretty sure she didn't even realize she was holding the glass.

Jason started across the room to Robin but Sonny gave him a subtle stop gesture. Jason was confused but he complied. Sonny whispered to Robin a moment. She didn't say or do anything and that really worried Jason. He watched Sonny pat her shoulder and then get up and come over to talk to him.

"What happened to her Sonny? Is she okay?"

"I don't know what happened but I think she is basically okay right now. She is in shock and hasn't been able to tell me much."

"Shouldn't we call the doctor or take her to the hospital?" Jason asked worriedly.

Sonny nodded thoughtfully. "We'll call the doctor in a little bit. We have to get her cleaned up first."

"Why?" Jason asked with concern. He took a closer look at Robin. His concern turned to alarm when he realized that under the blanket she had blood on her.

No longer willing to be patient, Jason left Sonny by himself and quickly crossed the room to Robin. As he knelt in front her Jason realized that she had a lot of blood on her.

"Are you alright sweet heart?" Jason asked Robin quietly. It was the soft and gentle tone that he used with her when they were together. Even in her state of shock she recognized it immediately.

"I tried to help Jason. I really did. It lacerated an artery. So much blood. Nothing I could do. I tried." Robin told him quietly. She wasn't making much sense yet, just as Max had said. Jason moved to set next to her on the couch and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tightly. The blood did not matter to him right then. Only she mattered.

"It's going to be okay Robin. The three of us can fix anything." Jason assured her. The problem was that he didn't know what the problem was or how to fix it. He only knew that something major had happened to her. Whatever it was he was going to help her.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for reading this chapter of my story. I hope you are enjoying it. I mostly write about Jason and Robin but have some ideas for other stories I will be working on soon. Please review each chapter. That lets me know if you like the story and if I should continue. Your feedback keeps me motivated to write. I want your honest feedback so I can improve this story and my writing. Thanks for reading, please review! **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**__** First let me say now that this is a work of fiction and I do not own GH or any of the rights. I do wish that they would let me come in and do some of their writing for a little while. Since they won't I will continue to put my wishes into stories and posting them here. Thanks for reading my stories. Please be sure to review.**_

Jason wasn't sure how long he sat with Robin. In a way it was like he was trying to gain information just by being near her. He was worried about her. He was comforted by the fact that her breathing was steady. Unfortunately no information came to him from looking at her. It was time to get to work.

"We need to get her cleaned up and call the doctor." Sonny said finally.

Jason nodded. He was about to ask Robin for her car keys so he could get the well-stocked overnight bag she always kept in the car. It was then that he realized that he had not seen her car in the driveway when he pulled up.

"Where is your car Robin?" Jason asked as he turned back to her.

"I don't know."

"How did you get here?"

Robin thought for a minute and shook her head. "I don't remember."

Jason looked up at Sonny. Sonny shrugged indicating that he did not know how Robin had arrived. This was definitely not sounding good at all. When Jason looked up he saw that Robin was looking at him. He could almost see the wheels spinning in her head as she tried to figure things out.

"Tell me everything you can remember."

"I don't know. I can't really remember anything except Patrick and I getting ready to leave the hospital and head home."

Jason watched the panic spread across her face as she began screaming. "Patrick! Where is Patrick? What happened to him?"

Jason was at a loss for what to say and simply pulled her into his arms for a hug. He heard Sonny place a call to the doctor telling him to come over right away. Jason did not particularly like the doctor they were using now but he seemed to know what he was doing. He was also very good at keeping his mouth shut and treating whatever they wanted. They paid him well to keep quiet and be on-call at all hours.

"I'm going to take you upstairs Robin." Jason told her as he picked her up. "The doctor is coming and he's going to make you feel better and I will find out what is going on."

Robin did not say a word. She just cried. Where was Patrick and why was she covered with blood? She was frightened and confused and she really hated feeling this way. Why couldn't she remember?

Jason carried her upstairs to what used to be the nanny's room when Carly and the boys still lived here. The room was empty now but it had its own private bathroom. He laid her on the bed still wrapped up in her blanket and picked up his cell phone.

"Sam?" He asked when he heard the groggy voice answer the phone.

"Yeah Jason it's me. What time is it?"

"It's early. I need you to hack into the GPS in Robin's car and find out where it is. You'll have to pick the lock but get the overnight bag out of Robin's trunk and bring it to Sonny's."

"I'm on it." Sam told him as she hung up.

Jason liked working with Sam. She was fast, reliable, and kept her mouth shut with the police. She was definitely mouthy with everyone else and more head strong than Sonny liked but Jason didn't care. She had good ideas and would not quit until she accomplished what she set out to do. He had been surprised when Sonny first hired her. Sonny tended to be chauvinist but in a way that a lot of women liked. He had never figured that one out. Sam had proven very valuable and moved up quickly. They had clicked immediately and had become a formidable team.

Suddenly Robin stopped crying and Jason turned to look at her. She was awake and looking at him. He realized that was in fact still crying but the tears were running silently down her face. He was trying to figure out how to get her into the shower to wash all the blood off her and get her changed without peaking at her body. It became obvious very quickly that it would be impossible. Robin was able to help some and that made it easier. The whole process did not faze her at all. Jason was becoming very worried.

It was over an hour later when Sonny heard Jason come downstairs. He was changed into the new clothes that Max had taken up and his hair was wet. He wasn't looking forward to telling Jason what he had found out while he was tending to Robin. Without saying a word Jason took the clothes that he and Robin had been wearing and put them into the fire that Sonny had started.

"Is she okay?" Sonny asked a moment later.

Jason shrugged. "The doctor is with her. She's in shock and he's giving her a mild sedative."

"Shouldn't he give her something strong to help her sleep for awhile?"

"He examined her and said she has a pretty big bump on her head. He doesn't want to give her anything strong until she's had a ct scan. He said he figures she's okay but wanted to be cautious."

"Good." Sonny said as he motioned Jason to sit. "Sam found Robin's car parked across from the hospital. She figures Robin went home with Patrick."

"Did she check out their house?"

Sonny nodded and finished making his drink. He offered Jason one. He sort of smiled when Jason shook his head no. He had already figured that but asked anyway. Jason rarely drank hard liquor. He liked to have a beer occasionally but that was it. Sonny however would drink at all hours of the day or not. He was always careful not to get drunk.

"Yeah, she checked out the house." Sonny continued as he sat down across from his best friend and right hand man. "She said it was a blood bath in there. Patrick and a man she doesn't recognize are dead. Patrick was apparently shot and she thinks he bled to death in the living room."

"She have any idea of what happened there?" Jason asked evenly. Sonny noticed the subtle change and realized that Jason had switched into his enforcer mode. He wasn't feeling much right now and that allowed him to do whatever needed to be done.

"Sam figures that at least two men entered the house because both doors were kicked in. There were definite signs of struggle in the living room and in the kitchen. Patrick died in the living room. The other guy was stabbed and died in the kitchen."

"Apparently Robin and Patrick went home together from work. Then at least two men break into the house. Patrick and one of the intruders are killed. Something went wrong with their plan." Jason stated. He was trying to figure out what happened.

"Was Patrick the target then? Robin had a bump on her head so they must have knocked her out and killed Patrick. How did that guy get stabbed then and where is the other intruder?"

"I don't know yet." Jason said. His tone was hard. "But I will find out!"

_**Author's Note:**__** I hope you are enjoying this story. Please be sure to review.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for reading my story so far. This one seems to be writing itself so I don't even know what is going to happen yet. I look forward to sharing it with you. Your reviews are greatly appreciated! **_

Sonny and Jason stopped talking when they heard the knock on the study door. Moments later Max opened the door and let the doctor in the room. Sonny got up and shook his hand.

"Thank you for taking good care of her. Is she alright?"

"Yes." The doctor replied. "She's sleeping now and I figure she'll be out for a couple of hours. She will need to have that bump looked at."

Sonny nodded and handed him some money. "We'll take care of it."

"That's very generous of you Mr. Corinthos." The doctor announced as he put the money in his pants pocket.

When Max had showed the doctor out he shut the door behind him. Sonny turned around to talk to Jason and saw that he had picked up his cell phone and was dialing. He decided to wait.

"Sam were you seen going into Robin's?" Jason asked as soon as she answered.

"Of course not!" she replied. Jason swore he could feel her glaring at him. "I parked a couple blocks over and snuck in the back."

"Good. Go upstairs to Robin and Patrick's room. There is a box on the top shelf in the closet that has photo albums and keepsakes in it. Take it with you when you leave. Torch the house and meet me at the coffee shop in an hour."

"I'll be there." Sam assured him as she hung up.

Sonny had sat silently while Jason was on the phone. He had known Jason for many years now and still impressed by his ability to compartmentalize everything. He could turn his emotions off and take care of the matter at hand. He was methodical and efficient. Sonny on the other hand was ruled by his emotions most of the time. He tended to let them guide too many of his decisions and that's when he made mistakes.

"You've got a plan." Sonny said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact.

"Sam is going to torch Robin's house. It looks like there were two people there. One of them probably knocked out Robin and one shot Patrick. I want the police thinking the man who got away set the place on fire to cover the crime."

"What about the man who was stabbed? What about Robin?"

"I don't know about the other guy yet. As for Robin, Sam and I are going to put her in her car unconscious and make an anonymous call to 911."

"That will be suspicious." Sonny cautioned him.

Jason nodded. "I know. You know the cops will haul me in for questioning. Mac will probably think I killed Patrick but couldn't hurt Robin. That's fine, I'll get some idea of the evidence they have by the questions they ask me."

"Sounds like a good plan."

Jason headed upstairs to get Robin. He did not like the idea of leaving her in her car. However, it would be the best way right now. It needed to look like she wasn't at home when all this went down. She would take it hard when one of the bodies from her house was identified as Patrick.

While heading to the coffee shop to meet Sam he thought about the mornings events. He had known it wasn't going to be good when his phone rang. This is one case he wished he had been wrong. Robin had stopped by his penthouse last week and they had spent several hours just visiting. She had mentioned that she was finally beginning to think that some good things in her life really might last. She had also mentioned that they were discussing starting a family. He really hated that her dreams had been shattered once again.

It made him think of the night so many years ago when they ran into each other on the bridge. He had finally been released from the hospital after the car accident that had left him in a coma and taken all his memories. Since he didn't remember his past he had no expectations for the future. Robin used to have dreams but she explained to him that night that her dreams were gone. She wanted to be a doctor, a wife, and a mother someday but had found out recently that it would never happen. She had been diagnosed as HIV positive just a few months before. Until the advancements were made that gave her the protocol she was on now, her future had been bleak.

Jason looked in the back seat. Robin was still securely fastened and still asleep. He was glad for that. He was pretty sure she wouldn't remember much if anything of being at Sonny's that morning. The hospital would run tests on her and discover the bump on her head and the sedative in her system and tell the PCPD and her Uncle, Police Commissioner Scorpio, why she couldn't remember anything. It would also explain why her memories were jumbled if she did happen to remember something.

He saw Sam's car in the parking lot as he pulled into the Corinthos/Morgan coffee shop. She was on time and he really appreciated that. He rolled down the window of the SUV and she did the same from her car.

"Stay here and watch Robin. I don't want her left alone until it's necessary."

"What is it we are going to do?" Sam asked.

"I'm going to steal a car." Jason told her matter-of-factly. "Then we are going to put Robin in her car and make an anonymous call to 9-1-1. We have to watch out for the security cameras. It would not be good if we were seen putting Robin in her car."

She nodded. "The security cameras from the hospital don't reach her car."

Jason looked at her suspiciously. The hospital had put extra cameras in last year when a woman was attacked across the street from the hospital. She was usually careful and he was taken aback by this oversight.

"There are new cameras on the roof." Jason informed her. "They were put in a year ago."

Sam nodded and then smiled at him. "I should have been more specific. The security cameras don't reach her car anymore would be more accurate. I disabled the roof cameras before getting the bag from her car."

Jason nodded approvingly. "Let's get to work then."

It only took a few minutes for Jason to get the car and then for him and Sam to leave Robin unconscious in her car. He sure hated doing that. He knew it was necessary at the moment though.

Moments later they dumped the stolen car and walked back to their vehicles. They used the back entrance and entered the coffee shop. Jason had one of his men use a disposable cell phone and place the call to 9-1-1. He looked at his watch and decided it was time to get going.

Sonny walked into the office just as Sam and Jason started out the back door. Jason told Sam to go ahead and go home. He leaned against the wall to talk with Sonny.

"It's done." Jason told Sonny.

"You headed home then?" Sonny asked him.

"Yeah. I'm going to get a shower and hopefully some breakfast before Mac has me arrested."

"Okay. I expect to hear from you when you get done at Police headquarters."

Jason nodded at Sonny and headed out. He thought it was strange that Sonny was telling him something so obvious. He always called in after being questioned. It wasn't like Sonny to micromanage him. He must be worried about this whole mess. To be honest, Jason was worried too.

Jason had finished his shower and gotten dressed. He was headed to the kitchen to find some breakfast he heard a knock on the door. He was pretty sure he knew who it was. He looked though the peep hole and found he was right. Two detectives from the Port Charles Police Department were outside.

He opened the door for them while still holding a cup of coffee. Detective Lucky Spencer and Detective Garcia walked in like they owned the place. Jason kept his expression blank. To the casual observer Jason Morgan simply looked bored.

"What do you want Lucky?" Jason asked evenly.

"Commissioner Scorpio wants you brought in for questioning." Detective Garcia informed him. Jason kept his gaze trained on Lucky Spencer. He and Lucky did not like each other much but they knew and cared about several of the same people. One of those people happened to be Robin.

"What is it that Mac wants to ask me about?" Jason asked.

Lucky shook his head and took a step toward Jason. "There was a fire this morning at Robin's house. Firefighters pulled two bodies from the rubble."

Jason intentionally let a look of complete surprise cross his face. He even allowed his hand to shake a little as he put his coffee cup on the desk. He didn't make it obvious, but he knew that Lucky would notice it.

"You're telling me that Robin and Patrick are dead and you think I had something to do with it?" Jason demanded suddenly. His anger caught Detective Garcia by surprise.

It did not surprise Lucky at all. He had hoped for this kind of reaction. Lucky had seen Jason grieving for someone he loved before and his first reaction was usually anger. He didn't like Jason Morgan and really wanted to put him away for the rest of his life. However, he knew that Jason still cared about Robin and was pretty sure that Jason would never hurt her.

"The medical examiner says both victims were male. We don't have a positive identification on them yet," said Lucky. "Robin was found unconscious in her car. Mac is at the hospital right now."

"Robin is alive? Thank God!" Jason declared. He had known she was alive. However, his relief was very real. He was glad to know she had been taken to the hospital and was being cared for.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for continuing to read my story. Please be sure to review.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks everyone for your kind reviews. They are greatly appreciated. I am really enjoying this story. It seems to be writing itself and I am quite often surprised at how it is going. Please continue to read and review!**_

Jason looked up as his attorney, Diane Miller, returned to the interrogation room with a smile on her face. Sonny had just recently put her on retainer and Jason thought it was a good move. She was a legal shark and in their line of work, Sonny & Jason needed all the legal help they could get.

"They are letting you go." Diane announced as she shut the door. "The paperwork is being processed and you will be out of here in about 20 minutes."

"It's about time. I've been here for four hours Diane." Jason told her with more frustration showing in his voice than he intended.

"Considering your alleged line of work, you can't honestly be surprised when they question you every time they find a body."

Jason shrugged at her. "Call the hospital and check on Robin."

"I am your lawyer not your secretary." Diane informed him promptly.

"You get paid a very generous retainer and get $500 an hour Diane." Jason said with visible anger. "You can make a damn phone call for me!"

"Of course." Diane said with a forced smile. "I'll be right back."

Diane did indeed return very quickly. This time her smile was real. "Dr. Scorpio is stable right now. She has a concussion and was drugged with some sort of sedative but otherwise does not appear hurt."

"Was that so hard to do Diane?" Jason asked still visibly upset. "Is someone with her? I don't want her alone."

Diane nodded immediately. "Mr. Corinthos was with her when I called. He is on his way here to pick you up. He stayed with her when Mac left the room to call her parents. He wants me to assure you that someone will have eyes on her at all times."

Jason nodded. He was glad to hear that. Sonny cared deeply for Robin and would do anything for her. Knowing that reassured Jason. He needed to know that she would be looked after if anything ever happened to him. Not that she couldn't take care of herself he told himself with a laugh. She was fiercely independent and he truly admired her strength. It was just that she meant so much to him and he needed to know that she would be alright.

It was 30 minutes later but finally Jason Morgan was released from police custody. He walked outside just as Sonny's limo pulled up. Max got out the front passenger door to come around and open the door for Jason. Jason however waved him off and let himself into the back. When Max got back into the car he closed the partition so Jason and Sonny could talk.

"They kept you long enough." Sonny commented mildly once Jason was settled.

"Four damn hours!" Jason said angrily. It was a tone he never used around Sonny. For most people, it was fear that kept them from talking to him that way. Jason was not afraid of Sonny at all. It was respect for his friend and business partner that usually kept him from raising his voice to Sonny.

Sonny nodded. He seemed surprised by Jason's tone but not upset. "Diane mentioned you were a little tense today. It isn't like you. What is going on?"

"I'm just frustrated Sonny. Just drop me at my place and I'll sweat it out."

Sonny leaned forward and knocked on the partition and told the driver to take Jason home. He figured a workout would do his friend a lot of good. He didn't usually talk out his problems. He preferred to solve them himself and seemed to get a lot of clarity while doing an intense workout.

Jason worked out very hard for over two hours. He was exhausted but it was good. Now he stood under the shower and just let the hot water run over his body. If he were honest with himself he was as surprised at his behavior as Diane and Sonny had been. It was not at all like him. He was good in a crisis. He could slip into his "Stone Cold" persona as Spinelli liked to call him. Then he could do whatever needed to be done and not really feel anything until later. It was very helpful for him, especially since a lot of what he was expected to do was unpleasant work.

"So what is different this time?" Jason asked himself out loud. The answer came back immediately. Robin was the difference. He had always kept his work life separate from Robin, even when they were together. She had understood that it was for her safety. Honestly, Jason just preferred it that way as well. Robin did not like his work and even now her approval still mattered to him. It was just better to keep her away from his work. Now however, they had collided. His work and Robin were tangled up together and he was worried. That was the difference.

"Pull it together man!" He told himself firmly as he toweled off and got dressed. If he knew what needed to be done, he could set his mind to getting it done and focus entirely on that. The problem was that he did not know what to do yet. He didn't really have any leads yet. Based on the questions they asked, Jason figured the police were as confused as he was. Once the other dead man in Robin's house was identified that would give him a place to start. He had to be patient for a day or two while the police figured out his identity. The problem was that Jason didn't want to be patient right now. He needed something to do.

'Robin' his mind told him immediately. He nodded to himself and decided that he would go see Robin in the hospital. Not wanting to go empty handed Jason stopped at a florist on his way. It was there that he decided he really needed to apologize to Diane for his behavior earlier. He wondered briefly if florists were paid on commission. If they were, this one would be happy with him. Not that it really mattered anyway. Once he decided on a course of action he would see it through regardless of what people thought about him.

Finding something for Robin was easy. She would love anything because she truly did appreciate the thought. He wasn't sure what to write on the card but decided to keep it simple. He just wrote: You've got a friend. Jason.

She would understand all that he was saying even if he couldn't put it into words. He was glad too because he knew he really couldn't put into words how much he cared and how sorry he was about her husband's death. She would understand his simple statement meant so much more.

The card for Diane's flowers was easy. He knew what he needed to say and he said it. "Diane, I was frustrated today and I took it out on you. I am sorry. Jason." He read it again and was happy with what he wrote. He decided it was simple and straight to the point.

It cost him nearly $50 for the two nice vases of flowers and the delivery fee for Diane's flowers. He was taking Robin's himself. It was more than he expected but he really did not care. He never worried about money. It dawned on him that he never did worry about money much. If he didn't have any he didn't worry about it. Now that he had lots of it he still didn't worry about it. In some ways he really missed the days of living in the abandoned box car. They ate at Kelly's a lot because Jason knew he could treat himself and Robin to a nice lunch for $5.00. Things were so much simpler then. Grabbing the flowers he headed to the hospital.

Jason could hear Robin crying as he approached her hospital room. He was about to push the door open and head in when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned and saw his mother. Technically she was his step mother but he never knew his real mother. He didn't really know Monica all that well either since all his memories from before his car accident were all gone.

"Give her some time Jason." Monica advised him when he turned to look at her. "Mac just told her a little while ago that they identified one of the bodies from her house at Patrick's. She is taking it hard."

Jason nodded. He knew she would and he really wanted to help but realized that there wasn't anything he could do right then. He stepped back from the door and went to stand on the wall across from her room. Monica joined him.

"Is someone with her?" he asked with concern. It was then that he finally admitted to himself that the reason he kept asking that was because he wanted to be with her. He felt he should be with her. He was a little jealous that everyone else got to see her first. He felt petty and spiteful for feeling that way but that was how he felt.

"Yes. Lainey is with her right now. Mac and Maxie have been with her most of the time. Sonny was even here for a little while."

Jason was glad that her voice was missing the hardness that usually accompanied her mentioning of Sonny. He gave her a slight smile to let her know he had heard the difference in her voice. Normally she noticed any effort he made toward her because they were so rare. This time she completely missed it.

"What can you tell me about her condition?"

"She's stable. She does have a concussion and the tox screen shows she was given a sedative. Someone left her alone in her car and called 9-1-1. When she woke up she was disoriented and terribly confused about what had happened. Physically she will be fine and will be released in a day or two. She has a hard road ahead of her emotionally."

Jason nodded. He knew Monica was telling more than she would normally. She knew how close he and Robin still were. She probably realized that in addition to the official investigation by the police that he would be looking into things as well.

"Will you give her these?" Jason asked as he handed Monica the flowers.

"Of course I will." Monica told him with a smile. It was very thoughtful of him she said to herself.

"Thank you." Jason said as he turned to go. Something crossed Monica's face and made him stop. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes." She told him somewhat startled. "Just some things…It's nothing really. Nothing you can help with."

With that Monica turned and walked away. Jason was certain that she was hiding something. He decided that it probably wasn't his business anyway. She would tell him if she wanted to.

Since he couldn't see Robin, Jason decided to go to work. Maybe that would help. Maybe.

_**Author's Note:**__** I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story. There will be more interaction between Jason and Robin in the upcoming chapters. Be sure to review. Your reviews let me know you are interested and it keeps me motivated to write more.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**__** There will be a lot more scenes with Robin and Jason interacting in the following chapters. For those who have noticed it, yes Jason is showing more anger than normal. I have a lot going on in my life and I am using the writing to get my frustrations out. Both of us will chill out shortly and he will return to his normal self. **_

Working had definitely helped clear his mind a bit Jason realized. He had been working for a couple of hours now and had gotten a lot done. It felt good to accomplish something in at least one area. Plus, it was good to get this paperwork taken care of now because he would let it slide when he had enough clues to begin looking into who murdered Patrick and why.

Realizing he was out of coffee Jason went out to the coffee shop to get some more. He was very surprised to see Edward Quartermaine walking in. Jason tended to refer to him as 'the old man' but in reality he was his grandfather. Not that Jason remembered him or anyone else in the family. It was okay with him that he couldn't remember any of them. The times he had been over there since the accident were torture and he disliked almost all of the Quartermaine's. Monica he liked and he had loved his sister Emily. Her death had hit him really hard.

"Why are you here?" Jason asked Edward bluntly.

"Can we talk privately?" Edward asked calmly. He was being nicer than normal. Normally he would be yelling and calling him a 'worthless hooligan' about now. Jason was curious and showed Edward into the office.

"You want some coffee?" Jason asked evenly.

"Sure. Black."

"Frankie!" Jason hollered through the open door. He appeared immediately. "Two black coffees and shut the door."

Edward checked to see that the door was indeed shut before he spoke. "We've been having some things disappear from the house."

"Get a security system or call the cops." Jason told him.

Edward shook his head but remained silent as he heard the knock on the door. A moment later Frankie brought in the coffee's and shut the door on his way out.

"It's been mostly little stuff until today. Monica had sent some of her jewelry out for cleaning and it came back today. Alice set the box on the table and went to check on dinner and when she returned it was gone."

Jason had begun paying more attention once he heard Monica's name mentioned. He remembered his encounter with her at the hospital and thinking something had been wrong.

Edward pulled a paper from his jacket and handed it to Jason. "They left this where the box was."

The paper said "The last two were your fault and you are going to pay for everything a little at a time."

"Does Monica know about the jewelry?" Jason asked. He wanted to make sure that was what had been bothering her earlier.

"Yes. I called her and let her know. She is very upset!" Edward told him quickly. This surprised Jason since Monica wasn't an overly materialistic person and typically she wasn't that attached to her jewelry.

"Why? What was taken?" Jason asked Edward.

"That note was threatening." Edward told him as he pointed angrily at the note. "They are coming back and they may hurt your mother!"

Jason shook his head. "No they won't. I'm pretty sure I know who did this and the jewelry will be returned tonight. What has Monica so upset?"

"You little hoodlum!" Edward began yelling as he got out of his seat and pointed angrily at Jason. "You did this. Why would you still from your own mother?"

"Oh shut up Edward!" Jason yelled back angrily.

Both men were startled when the door opened and two guards entered the room with their weapons drawn. Edward was obviously frightened by this turn of events. Jason was just plain mad.

"Trouble Mr. Morgan?" One of the guards asked immediately.

"You think I need help with one stupid old man?" Jason demanded from the guard.

"Sorry sir. We'll be outside."

Edward sat silently in his seat wondering what his grandson was going to do next. He knew he should not have come himself. He always lost his temper and in turn made Jason angry again. Monica would be furious; especially if Jason refused all contact with them again because of his outburst.

Jason wanted to throw his coffee cup but he did not. He wanted to hit the old man too but he decided he wouldn't do that either. Suddenly he could almost feel Robin's hand on his arm all those years ago and he could see her as she looked up to him in their living room and pleaded with him to give his family another chance. He sighed and counted to ten before he spoke.

"I had nothing to do with the stuff being taken from the house Edward but I think I know who did."

"I'm sorry Jason my-boy" Edward said sincerely. "I know you would never try to hurt your mother. It's just that she's really upset and I want to help."

"What is Monica missing that is bothering her?" He never referred to her as his mother. Everyone said she was wonderful to him growing up and in many ways favored him over her own biological son. He had no memories of her from before the accident. He always called her Monica and she had come to accept that he always would.

"Most of it is just regular jewelry. However, her wedding ring and her locket with the pictures of you and A.J. in it are of sentimental value."

Jason nodded. He remembered the locket and the ring. She always wore them both except when working at the hospital. He had often wondered why she still wore the wedding ring since Alan had died several years earlier.

"I will handle it Edward."

"If you know who, do you know why? That note was threatening." Edward told him a little uneasily.

Jason sort of smiled. "He's mad at you. Or ELQ specifically."

"Why?"

"The condom broke and his girlfriend gave birth to twins. She's trying to screw him on the child support and he wants to get even."

"The ELQ lawyers have already settled all the lawsuits from those faulty condoms. I don't want him coming back to the house. I'll have him arrested."

"I will handle it Edward. Arrest is the least of this guy's problems." Jason told him firmly. "Monica is under my protection and he will answer for messing with her. Just leave it to me. I will bring Monica back her stuff later."

A few minutes later Edward had left and Jason was alone in the office once again. He had a couple things to take care of first but Jason decided that he was going to see Robin tonight. He pulled out his cell phone.

"What now?" Sam asked as she picked up the phone.

"I need you to work tonight." Jason told her. He could hear her sigh.

"Can it wait?" She asked immediately. "I have a date tonight."

"No it can't wait." Jason replied. "But if you manage your time properly you can do both. We have a large shipment coming in tonight at pier 25 and I need you to be the harbor pilot."

"What time?" Sam asked more eagerly. She liked the nights she was harbor pilot. That was she was originally hired for but Jason found out she could be useful in other areas as well and had begun training her to handle a variety of tasks.

"2 am sharp." Jason told her. "Should be a simple night. No trouble expected."

"I will be there." Sam assured him before hanging up.

Okay, he thought to himself as he grabbed his leather jacket and keys. One task done. One more to handle before heading to the hospital. It was a clear night and Jason enjoyed the ride to the docks on his bike.

Upon his arrival at the docks, Jason slowly scans each workers face. Toward the end of the dock checking off boxes as they are unloaded he sees his target. His name was Gerald Hinkley but most people just called him G. Jason walked directly towards him and G looked up and became nervous. He could tell Jason wanted him and that he wasn't real happy. He just didn't know why. Just as Jason reached him he dropped the clipboard on the dock and put his hands up.

"Hey boss, what's up?" G asked with his hands still in the air. His next sound was something like 'ARF' as Jason put a right hook into his stomach. He would have gone down except for the fact that Jason was holding him up by the collar.

"Where's Hinkey?" Jason demanded of G. G's younger brother was Harold Hinkley but he was weird and everyone called him Hinkey.

"Don't know." The man gasped through the pain.

"Wrong answer." Jason announced as he pulled him straight up and then let go to hit him a solid left to the jaw. This time G went down with a load thud on the dock.

The other workers were watching this but no one considered interfering. Jason was the number 2 in the organization and if he wanted to beat up an employee they were going to let him. Everyone there knew Jason on sight and knew that he could whip any one of them if he wanted too. The bulk that filled out his t-shirts was all muscle. One or two of them had made the mistake of trying him once and they all regretted it. They all stood back to stay out of his line of fire.

Jason gave G a minute to get his bearings again. Then he leaned down to pull him up again. G scrambled back a few feet.

"Wait man! Let me think." G hollered.

Jason straightened up to let him know he was going to wait. 30 seconds later Jason had had enough waiting and he again leaned in to pick up G. This time however he picked him up by the hair.

"Your brother." Jason demanded and he planted his feet for another right hook into the frightened man's stomach. "Where do I find him?"

"Jake's!" The man screamed as Jason raised his fist again. Jason let him go immediately and G slid to the ground. "He'll be at Jake's trying to get some drunk girl to go home with him."

"You call him and tell him to wait there for me. If he isn't there when I get there I will track him down and kill him." Jason leaned in for added effect. "Then I will come back here and put you in the hospital for the aggravation!"

"Man, what did Hinkey do to piss you off so bad?" G asked so he could be sure he never did it.

Jason ignored the man as he headed back to his bike so he could go find Hinkey at Jake's. Once again Jason enjoyed the cool night air as he headed toward Jake's. The ride was short from the dock to the bar and he was there in less than 5 minutes.

Hinkey was at Jake's as his brother G had said. He was outside the bar with his hands all over a barely dressed woman. Jason realized immediately that she was a hooker, a barely legal one at that. He pulled $100 out of his pocket and handed it to her as he walked up.

"Take a hike." He told her in a tone that let her know not to argue. She took it and left immediately.

The moment the woman had turned the corner and was no longer in view Jason grabbed Hinkey and shoved him forcefully into the wall. Then he put several powerful punches to his kidneys. Hinkey slid down the wall but he was conscious.

"Where is the jewelry you took from the Quartermaine mansion today?" Jason asked him as he took off his jacket and laid it on the ground.

"What jewelry?" he asked with pretend innocence.

Jason yanked him up from the ground and hit him several more hard punches into his kidneys. Jason knew from personal experience how badly kidney punches hurt.

"My mother's jewelry." Jason demanded again. "Where is it?"

"Your…mo…mother?" Hinkey asked with alarm. Jason nodded his head. Hinkey pointed towards the parking lot.

"In…trunk…of…my…car." Hinkey managed to gasp out. He desperately did not want to be hit anymore.

A few minutes later Jason had warned the man what would happen if he came near his family again and had retrieved the entire box of Monica's jewelry. He opened it to make sure the locket and the ring were in there and was glad to see that they were. Before leaving Jason once again warned Hinkey to stay away from his family or else. The man nodded and promised several times to stay away.

Jason checked his watch. If he hurried he could catch Monica as she was leaving the hospital for the night.

_**Author's Note:**__** This chapter was longer than I expected but I wanted to keep all this together. Please be sure to review!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for continuing to read. I am enjoying this story and hope you are too. Okay, now off to the story and more of Jason and Robin. Be sure to review.**_

Jason walked into the hospital the back way. He wasn't exactly sneaking in but he was avoiding the heavily traveled hallways until he got to Robin's room. Visiting hours had ended a couple of hours ago and he didn't want to get run off right away. He had been trying to see Robin all day and now he was finally here.

Robin heard the door open and sat up slowly. She had been fairly certain that he would come to visit and that it would be after hours. She was glad that he was here. As horrible as things were right now seeing Jason somehow made it a little better. It was like seeing him reminded her that some things were still right in the universe.

"Jason," Robin said in a slightly lower than normal voice. "Please come in."

"I didn't want to wake you." He said as he casually glanced around the room. It was a habit now to check every room when he entered. Half the time he wasn't even aware he was doing it. He was this time though because it was dark in her room and he checked things twice.

"I wasn't asleep." She assured him with a slight smile. "Thank you for the flowers. They are really beautiful."

He shrugged and busied himself taking off his jacket. He pulled the jewelry box out of the inside pocket and set it on the jacket before pulling up a chair next to her bed. She watched him the entire time and gave him a full smile when he finally looked at him again.

"What?" He asked curiously.

"You always do that when someone thanks you for doing something really thoughtful." Robin said quietly. She decided to change the subject since he seemed uncomfortable. "I like your jewelry box."

"It's Monica's. I need to return it to her." Jason told her as he glanced at his watch. "Do you mind if I have her paged here?"

"Of course not. How did you end up with her jewelry?"

"Someone broke into the house and took it. Apparently her wedding ring and that locket she likes so much were in there and she was sad about it." Jason said with another shrug. "Edward came to see me. Then I went to see the thief and asked him to return her stuff."

Robin nodded. She noticed the swelling on Jason's knuckles and that confirmed her suspicion that he didn't "ask" very nicely.

"It was nice of you to help your mom like that." She looked at the box for a minute as if she was trying to decide something.

He shrugged again and Robin nodded again. Any mention of the Quartermaine's tended to make him edgy. She realized that she was one of the few people he would even discuss them with at all. She also realized she was focusing on other things so she wouldn't have to face her own grief.

"I like Monica. She's better than the rest of them." Jason stated simply. "I still think she is looking for some reminders of him when she looks at me. Jason Quartermaine is gone and she needs to accept it."

"She has accepted it more than you think. Take a look at the inside of the locket. Turn on the light it will be easier to see."

Jason's look was one of confusion. He got up and turned on the light and returned to his chair. He was still confused but decided to take a look. He opened the jewelry box and pulled out Monica's locket. Inside were two pictures, one of A.J. and a fairly recent photo of him. That was new. She used to have an older one of him in there when he was still Jason Quartermaine.

"She updated her picture of me." Jason stated. He was still a little confused.

"Look under the picture." Robin told him quietly. She was watching him carefully for his reaction.

Jason did as she suggested and removed the picture of him from Monica's locket. He knew immediately what Robin was referring too. The engraving had been updated. Originally it had J.Q. and the year he was born. Now another line had been added and it read J.M. and the year he woke up from the coma.

Jason stood up and headed for the phone by Robin's bed. He didn't know what to say right then about the locket so he said nothing to Robin.

"Can you page Dr. Quartermaine to 614 please?" he asked the nurse who answered the phone. He had barely put the phone down when he heard the page over the loudspeaker. Jason put the locket into his pants pocket and then moved his coat so it covered the jewelry box.

Monica arrived a few moments later. She was surprised to him there. She had thought Robin needed something before she went home for the night. Seeing her son there was not what she expected and the surprise showed on her face.

"Jason!" Monica exclaimed with a smile. Seeing him twice in one day was a very rare treat and she was glad it happened today.

"I came to see Robin." Jason told her immediately. "But I wanted to give you something before you left."

This really surprised Monica. Robin now sat fully upright in her hospital bed. She was enjoying the discourse between mother and son and didn't want to miss a single look that passed between them.

"You caught me just in time then. I had just finished my charting and was headed to the nurses' station to sign out when I got the page."

"Close your eyes." Jason told her quietly. She looked at him strangely for just a moment before closing her eyes.

She heard Jason move behind her. He pulled the locket out of his pocket and placed it around her neck. She moved her hair out of the way to allow him to fascine it. With her eyes still closed her hand felt her neck. She knew immediately what it was and opened her eyes to confirm it.

"Oh Jason thank you!" Monica told him with tears in her eyes. "How?"

"Edward came to the coffee shop today and told me." Jason told her with a smile. He gave her a hug as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I made arrangements for the return of all your jewelry."

Her eyes got wide. "All of it?"

Jason nodded and retrieved the jewelry box from under his leather jacket and handed it to Monica. She immediately found her wedding ring and put it on. He thought about mentioning it but decided against it. Robin had just lost her husband and it didn't seem like a good time.

"Robin, you should be sleeping." Monica told her when she regained control.

"I'm afraid to go to sleep." Robin admitted quietly. Jason turned to look at her. "I keep having nightmares."

"I'll order a sedative then." Monica assured her confidently.

Robin immediately shook her head no. "I can't take that risk Monica."

"I understand." Monica replied. "Just try to lay quietly then and let your body recover."

Jason stood silently watching Robin and Monica and realized there was something under the surface that he did not understand. A few minutes later Monica gave him a hug and a kiss and then left the room. He returned to his chair next to her bed.

"I was told you were doing fine." Jason told her. The concern was evident in his face.

"I am. They are keeping me as a precaution and will be letting me out of here the day after tomorrow."

"Then why is a sedative a risk?"

Jason watched as tears welled up in Robin's eyes. His heart broke for her and he got a terrible feeling deep in his gut. She wasn't fine! Something was really wrong with her. He reached for her hand and she gripped it tightly.

"They did blood work when I was admitted." Robin told him. Jason nodded, he already knew that. "It showed that I was pregnant."

Jason's heart almost stopped right there on the spot. That sinking feeling in his gut became more pronounced as the news sunk in. She was pregnant. Sedative's would be a risk to her baby and he had the doctor sedate her at Sonny's!

Robin watched Jason's reaction closely and was worried when he started looking almost green. He looked physically sick at her news and that broke her heart. She was sad to be doing this alone but was glad to still have part of her husband with her. Jason apparently did not feel the same. She felt even more alone.

"Jason!" Robin said sharply. "Inhale or you will pass out."

He took a couple of shaky breaths in order to steady himself. He had to tell her. She needed to know but how could he tell her that he had jeopardized the last part of Patrick she had left. He felt awful! She wasn't looking at him. She had turned to face the wall.

"Robin, look at me." Jason said a moment later. She turned her head to face him and he saw the tears running down her face.

He jumped up from the chair and reached over the railing to give her a hug. It used to be that any woman crying would upset him. Over the years he had gotten desensitized to it or something because now it didn't bother him nearly as much. Except for a couple of women. Robin was one of them. Her tears hurt him.

"I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you." Jason told her with his arms tightly around her.

She nodded into his chest. She mumbled something like, "I know."

"I may have put you in danger by accident." He told her. She looked up at him but did not pull away.

"I don't understand." She said at first. Jason watched her face for a second and could see a look of realization cross her face. "It was real wasn't it?"

"Was what real?" Jason asked confused.

"I thought it was a dream or a hallucination or something like that. But it wasn't was it? I really did go to Sonny's this morning and you had the doctor sedate me."

Jason nodded. He wanted to cry too thinking he had caused her harm. He never wanted to do that. Ever. Until he felt her hand reach up and start wiping his face, he didn't realize that he was in fact crying.

"It's okay." She told him. She said it over and over until they both stopped crying.

"I didn't know about the baby."

"No one did. I didn't even suspect that I might be pregnant." She told him calmly. "I don't think the sedative will hurt anything Jason. Monica knows I am pregnant but she felt safe in offering me one. I am just being cautious."

"You've had one hell of a day." Jason said with a wry smile.

"It's been a lot to handle." She admitted as she tried to stifle a yawn. "I have a lot of questions."

"I will answer as many as I can tomorrow." Jason told her as he got up and turned the lights back off in her room. "Right now you need to sleep."

"Can you stay a little while?" She asked.

"I will be here until the nurses make me leave or Mac comes in." He told her. He watched her visibly relax.

She fell asleep a few minutes later still holding his hand.

Sleeping in a chair in a hospital room wasn't the best place to get a good night's sleep Jason thought as he closed his eyes. To be honest, there was no place he would rather be.

_**Author's Note:**__** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think!!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note:**__** I wanted to say thank you to all of you who have listed this as a favorite story. It really makes me feel good and keeps me motivated to write. It may be a couple days between chapters now as I have a lot of stuff going on in my life. However, I will keep writing this story until it is completed. **_

Jason sat up as the sun started streaking in the window. A nurse came in every couple of hours to check Robin's vitals during the night but other than that they were left alone. Jason was very surprised. He had figured one of the night nurses would run him off before morning. He was glad they didn't. Robin had slept fitfully and had woken up crying a couple of times. She had gone back to sleep easily though as soon as she felt his touch on her hand or her face. If someone had not stayed with her he was certain she would not have gotten any rest at all.

Checking his watch as he stood to stretch, Jason realized it was time for him to head out. Her family would be arriving shortly and he didn't want to put her in the position of having to defend him again. It would just be easier on everyone if he were gone before Mac arrived.

"Are you leaving?" Robin asked quietly as she began moving around in the hospital bed.

He nodded. "Mac will be here soon so you won't be alone."

"I'm not alone. Sonny has a guard wandering the hall dressed as a maintenance man."

Jason smiled. He should have known she would spot the guard. She was always good at picking them out. Even when she wasn't aware he was having her guarded, she always seemed to find them. Maybe her parents taught her that. Being the child of two "super spies" as Robin always called them had to have some advantages.

"His name is Pete and he is one of the best we have." Jason told her. "He is almost as good as Max and Milo, but they are too well known to blend in as hospital employees."

"Epiphany would have recognized them immediately." Robin agreed. "My uncle Mac too and he would have made a scene."

Just then the guard opened the door to Robin's room.

"Maintenance Miss." Pete said as he entered the room and began to collect the trash. He gave Jason a quick look and Jason realized he needed to talk.

"It's okay Pete. She knows who you are." Jason assured the guard.

"The guard downstairs just called up and said Commissioner Scorpio and Detective Spencer are on their way up."

Jason nodded and grabbed his coat. "That's my cue, Robin."

"I understand. Thanks so much for staying last night Jason. It really helped."

"I'm glad." He told her as he kissed her on the forehead. "I will try to come back tonight for a little while."

Jason left Robin's room just moments before Mac arrived on the 6th floor. He headed home to get a shower and change clothes before heading to work. He really wanted to take a nap instead since he didn't get much rest sleeping in the chair by Robin's bed. That would have to wait.

It was too early to call Sam. She had been the harbor pilot when a big shipment came in very early this morning. Since no one had called to say different, he was confident that everything went smoothly. Sam would be sleeping for several more hours if she could. She probably got home about 3 hours ago. He decided to leave her alone for as long as he could today.

When Jason arrived at the coffee shop he told the counter guy to bring him a large cup of coffee with a couple of shots of espresso in it. The man raised his eyebrows to show his surprise but did not say a word.

"We've got a problem." Sonny announced as soon as Jason entered the office.

"What's going on?" Jason asked as he dropped himself into one of the visitor chairs.

"You heard of Joey Cruz right?" Sonny asked.

Jason nodded immediately. "Sure. He's a big time drug dealer in Manhattan."

"I have it on good authority that he plans on landing a large shipment to his suppliers day after tomorrow."

"So?" Jason asked. Both men were silent a moment as the front counter man knocked on the door and brought Jason his coffee.

"Thank you." Jason told him as he left the room. He forgot to shut the door so Jason got up and closed it. He returned to his chair silently.

"I've been told he will be using our shipping lanes to get his shipment delivered on time." Sonny announced suddenly.

Jason sat up. This definitely had his attention. He and Sonny had a hard and fast rule about no drugs in their territory at all. Drugs weren't allowed to even travel through Port Charles on their way to somewhere else. If this was true about Joey using their shipping lanes they would definitely have to make a forceful response.

"Joey knows we won't allow that. We have made it clear that we will destroy any shipment of drugs that go through our territory." Jason told him.

Sonny nodded. "I know we did. Apparently he needs a reminder."

"I'll take care of it." Jason said after he finished his coffee.

"Make it a good lesson." Sonny told him forcefully.

"You can count on it." Jason replied immediately. "If he comes even an inch into a shipping lane of ours his ship and the cargo will end up at the bottom of the harbor."

Sonny nodded his approval and resumed his paperwork. Jason dropped his empty coffee cup into the trash by the desk and headed out. He had just gotten to his bike when Detective Spencer pulled up.

"Have the special." Jason told him as he started his bike. "It's really good today."

"We have some more questions for you regarding the murders and arson at Robin's house." Lucky shook his head. His gut was telling him that Jason was involved somehow but he just didn't know how. He didn't really think Jason would kill Robin's husband but he could not shake the feeling that Jason was involved in this somewhere.

"I don't know any more than I did yesterday." Jason said as he shrugged at him. Unfortunately that was true. He didn't know anything new and he wanted to. "I'm going to get some food. I'll call Diane and we'll meet you at the station in about an hour."

To Jason's surprise, Lucky agreed. He had expected Lucky to insist that he come in now. After making arrangements with Diane to meet him at police headquarters for questioning, Jason went to get a late breakfast or early lunch. He didn't care, he was just hungry.

Jason had just sat down at a table in Kelly's when Sam walked in. She noticed him immediately and sat down across from him. The waitress hurried over to take their order. Jason gave her one of his very rare but genuine smiles. She blushed and hurried off to get their coffees.

"You must have had a good night." Sam commented with a smile.

"Not really. I slept in a chair by Robin's bed all night." Jason said simply.

"Who is she to you anyway?" Sam blurted out before she could censor her words. She knew how much he hated discussing his personal life with anyone.

"I'm sure you've heard from Sonny or others that I was in a car accident 10 years ago." Jason told her quietly as the waitress returned with their coffees. "It left me in a coma for weeks and when I woke up I had no memories whatsoever."

"Sonny told me about it. He said that was the day that Jason Quartermaine died and Jason Morgan was born."

"That's it exactly." Jason nodded. He took a sip of his coffee just to have something to focus on for a minute. Discussing the accident and waking up from the coma always made him feel a little uncomfortable. He was a private person anyway and his work for Sonny made that even more of a priority. "Robin was the first person I saw when I finally woke up. She was holding my hand and talking to me. I didn't know who she was. Hell, I didn't know who I was. I just knew that I liked her, a lot."

"She was by your side during the coma so she must have known you before the accident." Sam said just to be saying something. She was hoping he would continue. Jason nodded.

"Robin was the first person who didn't act like she was missing Jason Quartermaine while she was talking to me." Jason shrugged because he was trying to shrug off the memories that were flooding his mind. "When I woke up I was angry and confused all the time. That changed one night when I held her hand on the bridge that became 'our bridge'. That was the first time that something felt good."

"That had to be nice, finding out that you could feel something other than anger and confusion all the time." Sam said as she struggled to keep the emotion out of her voice.

"She taught me to feel things, good things." Jason told her very quietly. "It was Robin that taught me how to love."

The waitress returned then with their food. They just looked at it for a minute like they were both confused by what they should do next.

"So," Sam said with a smile "Who is she to you anyway?"

"Robin is…"Jason began as he looked her straight in the eye. He wasn't embarrassed to be telling her this. It actually felt good to say out loud what he had been thinking. "Robin is my north."

Without another word Jason put some money on the table and walked out of Kelly's. He left a shocked Sam sitting there alone. 'Robin is my Canada' he thought to himself as he got on his bike. Robin and Sonny were the only ones to understand that. Honestly, they were the only ones that Jason cared if they understood it or not.

_**Author's Note:**__** For anyone who isn't familiar with the references to Robin being Jason's 'north' or his 'Canada' go to . If you don't already have one, you will have to set up an account, but it is free. Once you are signed in type 'Jason and Robin – Canada Speech' it is nearly 9 minutes long but it showcases the wonderful relationship these two had on the show. **_

_**Thanks for your continued interest in the story. Please be sure to review each chapter!**_


	8. Chapter 8

True to his word, Jason arrived at the Port Charles Police Department on time to answer questions. Diane was there waiting for him. She wanted to know what was going on. The problem was that Jason only had questions, he really did not know what had happened at Robin's or why.

"Thank you for the flowers yesterday." Diane told Jason as they waited in the interrogation room. "That was very nice."

"This stuff with Robin's husband being murdered is driving me crazy." Jason told her. "I should not have taken it out on you. I'm sorry."

Diane started to say something but changed her mind when the interrogation room door opened and Mac walked in. Both Jason and Diane were surprised by this turn of events.

"Your attorney is here Jason." Mac stated. "So we can dispense with the usual line about having nothing to say without your attorney present."

"My client has rights Commissioner." Diane informed him.

Mac nodded. "Of course he does Counselor. Like a lot of other criminals he can afford the best defense possible." Mac slammed his file down on the desk. "What about Patrick's rights, Jason? Huh? Or Robin's rights?"

"Commissioner!" Diane spoke sharply. "My client has not been convicted of a crime and it is prejudicial to be referring to him as a criminal."

"I am sorry about Robin's husband Mac." Jason told him calmly. "I don't know anything about it."

"The way I figure it, you couldn't hurt her directly. So someone who works for you knocked her out while you shot Patrick." Mac said angrily as he got in Jason's face. For half a second though something flashed across Mac's face and he knew Jason saw it. Jason was sure he was supposed to see it.

"I'm out of here!" Jason announced as he grabbed his jacket. "You are mighty brave hiding behind that badge of yours! Anytime you want to be a real man, you know where to find me."

Jason stormed out of the PCPD and made sure a lot of people saw how angrily he left. He had let Mac know he would talk privately and he gave a lot of people reason to believe that he and Mac couldn't even begin to talk to each other civilly. He wasn't sure what was going on but when it came to Robin he was willing to go the extra mile to find out. The next move was Mac's.

Jason checked in with Sonny after leaving the station. He always did after being questioned by the police. Sonny knew he would never say a word about the organization, he just liked to be in the loop and Jason understood that. Then he headed home to get a workout.

Jason was just finishing his workout when his phone rang. He heard the special ring letting him know it was Sonny. He was glad Spinelli had set that up for him. That way he didn't always have to look to see if he could ignore the call. Once he heard the ring belonging to Sonny, he knew he would answer it.

"What's up Sonny?" Jason asked as he picked up.

"A friend dropped by for cocktails tonight." Sonny told him. "When can you join us?"

"I'll be there in an hour." Jason assured him as he hurried toward the shower.

Sonny was not the least bit surprised that exactly one hour later Jason walked into the study. He had known Jason would be on time, he always was. He was the most organized and disciplined person he had ever met in his life.

"Thanks for joining us Jason." Luke Spencer told him as he got up to shake hands.

"It's good to see you Luke" Jason told him with a smile. Luke was not what anyone would call a good father, but he did honestly love his children. His son Lucky had become a police detective and that he really upset Luke but in the end he loved him no matter what. It was Luke's second child, his daughter Leslie Lou Spencer that Jason was most fond of. She was like a little sister to Jason and he was protective of her. "How's Lu-Lu?"

"Young and beautiful as always." Luke told him proudly. "For whatever reason she really likes working at Crimson."

Jason nodded as he got himself a beer and sat down on the couch. He had not been invited for purely social purposes. Luke wasn't a real social person and everyone knew that Jason wasn't.

"You know I'm Switzerland." Luke said to Sonny.

Sonny nodded like he understood. Jason looked at him quizzically because he had no idea what he was talking about.

"Luke is neutral, like Switzerland." Sonny explained to Jason. Jason nodded. He got it. Luke ran the Haunted Star a nice gambling establishment that was frequented by many in the area. Sometimes there were rival mob factions in there. Everyone understood that it was neutral territory and that Luke would not take anyone's side. He would however, sometimes work as a middle man to allow two opposing sides to be able to sit down and talk.

"Mac came to see me today. He asked me to get in touch with Jason and ask for a private meeting tonight." Luke stated. "He'll leave his gun and badge in the car Jason. He wants you to come in unarmed as well."

Sonny started to shake his head but thought better of it. He knew Jason would want to. If nothing else, he would do it for Robin. Regardless of what he thought of the idea of Jason being alone with a cop without weapons, he realized that Jason would do literally anything to help Robin. That was honorable and he was going to support it.

Jason shook his head and looked at Luke. "I'll meet him Luke. But I won't go anywhere without my weapon. I promised Robin when I first started working for Sonny that I would never hurt Mac."

"She asked you to promise?" Sonny asked with surprise.

"No." Jason said quietly. "She never asked. I promised to make her feel better. I didn't ever want her to think she was being forced to choose me or Mac."

"I think he'll go for that." Luke said solemnly. "3 am at the Haunted Star."

"No." Jason said firmly. "I have someone to see then."

Sonny looked at Jason for a moment trying to figure things out. Then he realized what it was. He was going to see Robin in the hospital again. He smiled. They had been apart for so many years but anyone who knew both of them knew that they would still do anything for each other. Sonny was another person who would do anything for Robin.

"I'll go meet with Pete." Sonny said to let Jason know he realized what was going on. "You meet with Mac."

"Sure." Jason said as he donned his jacket and grabbed the keys to his motorcycle.

Okay, Jason thought as he headed out of Sonny's. Mac made his move quickly and he chose a good person to act as the go between. No one would think it strange that Mac would be in contact with Luke. After all, Luke was good friends with Mac's brother Robert and had always cared about Robin.

Jason looked at his watch. It was still during regular visiting hours at the hospital. He decided to head over now since he wouldn't be able to stay all night with her like before. He was pretty sure that Mac wouldn't mention the meeting to Robin and he decided that he wouldn't either.

The moment he opened the door to her room, Jason could tell that Robin was crying. She started to turn away but stopped herself. She looked him directly in the eyes as tears ran down her face. He crossed the room silently. He sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her into his arms.

"We've known each other for all my life." Jason told her as he stroked her hair and held her tight. "There is nothing you have to hide from me."

"Everyone else tries to tell me it is alright or it will get better or something." Robin told him with her head still buried in his chest. "You are the only one who doesn't try to fix me."

"You aren't broken." He told her with a smile. "You're sad and that makes sense to me."

Jason held her and let her cry for awhile. Eventually her breathing returned to normal. Jason eased his hold on Robin and she leaned back in the bed and wiped her tears away.

"I miss Patrick." Robin told him. "I need to know what happened to him."

Jason held up a finger to let Robin know to hold on a minute. He picked up his phone. He had Pete post a guard at the door so they could be alerted before anyone came in. He had promised to give Robin what answers he could. He just wished he had more for her.

"I have bits and pieces of memories in my head and I can't make sense of them yet." Robin told him. It seemed to him that her eyes were pleading for answers.

"I'll tell you what I know Robin but it isn't going to be easy to hear." Jason told her firmly. He wanted her to be prepared. He knew she was strong. She was one of the strongest people he had ever met.

Jason told her everything that he knew for sure at that point. He explained about asking Sam to set the fire. He also let her know that Sam had saved her memory box that had her wedding pictures and stuff in it. She was glad for that.

There were several things that he was beginning to piece together but he didn't say anything to her about them yet. She was strong and brave and he had seen her survive a lot. He also knew that she had just lost her husband and found out she was pregnant. It was important that he not push her. He was going to allow her to set the pace right now of how much they shared and when.

"I am being released in the morning." Robin announced.

"I know you are glad for that." Jason said with a smile. He knew she hated being admitted to the hospital. She hated anything that made her appear weak or anything less than a strong and capable woman in charge of her life. He doubted she would believe that he always saw her that way; even when she was crying in his arms or he was carrying her upstairs to have the doctor sedate her. "I should have offered sooner Robin but you are always welcome to stay with me. I have that extra bedroom that isn't being used."

"I appreciate it Jason, I really do." Robin told him. "It was a comfort knowing I could stay with you. I didn't really feel homeless because of it. I knew I had somewhere to go. However, Uncle Mac really wants me to come home with him for awhile and I told him I would."

"I figured you would. I just wanted you to know you are always welcome." Jason stood up and walked around the room for a minute before coming to stand next to her bed. "I won't be able to be here all night tonight."

"Its okay, Jason. I'm glad you were here last night."

"I have a meeting with a..." he stopped as he searched for the right word. "I have a meeting with a contact at 3 am."

"Be careful."

He nodded. "Sonny is coming to stay with you while I am gone. Hopefully the nurses won't ask him to leave."

Robin smiled and shook her head. "They won't. I found out today that Monica told them that you and Sonny are allowed to visit me anytime you want."

"That was nice of her." Jason said with surprise. "I'll try to call her tomorrow and tell her thanks."

Jason watched as Robin began settling down in the bed. She was tired and getting ready to go to sleep. He opened the door to let Pete know they were done talking so he could resume his security checks up and down the hallway.

Jason turned off the light and returned to the chair by Robin's bed. It wasn't long before they were both asleep.

_**Author's Note:**__** Please be sure to review. I really enjoy hearing from all of you!**_


	9. Chapter 9

Sonny arrived at exactly 2:30 am. Jason had wondered if he would show up in casual clothes since it was so early in the morning. He did not. He was dressed like he always did in a tailored suit and matching tie.

"Sonny," Robin said from her bed as she woke up. "I'm glad to see you."

"Get some rest sweetheart." Sonny whispered to her as he stroked her hair for a minute.

She went back to sleep easily. Sonny followed Jason into the hall, making sure the door was shut before he began talking.

"Milo is downstairs with the limo." Sonny said. "He will watch until you enter the Haunted Star and then he will leave. Page him when you are ready to be picked up."

"Milo is supposed to be watching you." Jason told him. "I can take care of myself."

"I have the twins with me." Sonny said.

Jason took a casual look around. He liked the set up. Tim was at one end of the hallway and Tom was at the other. That left Pete to wander in between. Jason nodded his approval and headed out for his meeting with Mac.

The parking lot was empty and dark when they arrived. Jason glanced around before getting out of the limo. Just in case, he pulled his gun out of the waistband and held it close to his leg as he walked in. The lighting was much better inside and once Jason saw it was only Luke and Mac inside, he put his gun away.

"Cautious." Luke noted as Jason looked around and then put his gun away.

"Being careless can get me killed." Jason responded.

"You guys are welcome to anything from the bar. Be sure to lock up when you leave." Luke said. A moment later he was gone. Jason and Mac were completely alone.

"I'm not here in any official capacity," Mac said as he held out his hand. Jason shook it. "I am here as Robin's uncle. I'd like to compare notes with you and see if we can get some answers for Robin on what happened."

"I did not shoot Patrick," Jason said as he took off his leather jacket and placed it over the back of the chair. "I don't know who did."

"I figured as much." Mac responded. He pulled some papers out of his jacket and handed them to Jason. "We got a positive i.d. back on the other dead guy. His name is Martino Pilatti. Do you know him?"

Jason nodded as he got himself a beer from behind the bar. He held one out toward Mac who shook his head no. Jason sat back down at the table but was silent for a minute. He was trying to figure things out.

"He used to work for Anthony Zacchara." Jason finally said. "We fired him when we took over Anthony's territory. He has an expensive drug habit and he likes to beat up prostitutes. He was a liability we couldn't afford."

"Do you know who killed him?" Mac asked.

"No." Jason said simply. "I have more questions than answers in all of this."

Mac nodded. "What do you know?"

Jason took a long drink on his beer. Talking to the police was something quite foreign to Jason. Still Mac wanted to talk privately and he didn't believe Mac would double cross him so he decided to tell him everything.

Mac listened silently as Jason narrated the events beginning with that phone call in the middle of the night.

"You left her in the car?" Mac asked with concern.

Jason nodded. He still hated that. "She was across the street from the hospital. Plus, I had my people place an anonymous 911 call."

"You made sure help arrived quickly." Mac said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"They were there in less than five minutes. My people never took their eyes off her until help arrived."

"You and I come out on the opposite sides of almost everything." Mac stated as he looked at Jason. "But you really do care for her don't you?"

"Of course," Jason told him immediately. "I never stopped loving her Mac."

"I have often wished she would stop loving you." Mac told him with a sigh. "She insists that loving you is like breathing and she can't stop."

Jason liked hearing that. He had known he was still important to her but it was nice to hear it anyway. Their relationship had changed many times in the years since they split up. Ultimately they settled into an intense friendship. Quite often they could feel the other walking into a room before they could see them.

"She's hiding something from me." Mac stated. That brought Jason out of his thoughts quickly. Apparently Mac knew her very well too. "I've questioned her and so has Lucky and we both feel the same. She isn't telling us everything."

Jason nodded. "She has vague memories of being at Sonny's and being sedated. She wouldn't say anything about it to keep me and Sonny from getting into trouble."

"Granted." Mac stated. "But there is more. Do you know what or why she is keeping stuff from me?"

"No. She's been through a lot in the last few days." Jason stated. "I know she is strong, but it is a lot for anyone to handle and I am taking it slowly. I am letting her lead the discussions right now and she'll go there when she is ready."

Mac nodded. He got up from the table and went to get himself a beer from behind the bar. He didn't particularly want a beer right now. He wanted something to do. He needed a moment to process things before going any further with Jason. The fact that he and Jason were talking alone like this and sharing information highlighted the fact that something unusual was going on. Mac hated being in the dark like this and he wanted answers. He was sure Jason wanted them too.

Jason watched as Mac got up to get a beer. He knew instantly that Mac needed a moment to process all this. There was a lot of pressure on Mac, Jason realized suddenly. He hadn't really thought about it before, but there had to be intense pressure. As the Police Commissioner he had a double homicide and arson to solve. Add to that the fact that family was involved in this case and it gets real tricky. Plus, Mac needed to be there for his niece. He had to be able to shut off the interrogation part and the need for answers in order to help her deal with her grief. It was a lot to ask. He was starting to gain a new respect for Mac.

"I assume you are doing your own investigation as well." Mac said as he returned to the table.

"Now that I know where to begin looking," Jason told him directly "I will be."

"Do you plan on leaving a large body count for the PCPD to clean up?" Mac asked.

Jason looked at for a moment without saying a word. He reminded himself that he was talking to Robin's uncle and not the Police Commissioner. It was safe to be completely honest with him. It wasn't like Mac didn't know what he really did for a living.

"Depends on who gets to them first." Jason told him with complete honesty. "If I find them, then yes, I am going to kill them."

"For the first time in my life Jason, I find myself hoping you do get there first." Mac said with a sigh as he looked at the beer in his hand.

"She will tell me things when she is ready." Jason said as he watched Mac. "I will need to come by and see her."

"Do it while I am at work," Mac stated. "I don't want her knowing we are cooperating in this."

"Why not?" Jason asked with surprise.

"I don't want her to feel like we are ganging up on her or comparing notes on what she says to each of us."

Jason thought on that for a minute. It made sense really. Jason nodded.

"Mac," Jason said after he took a deep breath. "If she says something she wants kept secret, I will keep it secret."

"I know that." Mac stated with a heavy sigh. "I think she will tell you first and to be honest it really bothers me."

Jason shook his head. "It isn't out of lack of trust for you. She loves you dearly and would never want to put you in the position of choosing your love for her and your oath of office."

Mac opened his mouth to say something. No words came out so he closed his mouth without making a sound.

"She knows you would choose her every time." Jason told him a minute later. "She just doesn't want you to have to choose."

"It appears as though Patrick was the target of the attack," Mac said suddenly as a way of changing the subject. "They went out of their way not to hurt Robin, why?"

"I really don't know Mac," Jason told him honestly. "There are several possibilities and I will be looking into all of them. I can and will be asking questions in ways that you legally can't."

"Okay." Mac stated as he finished his beer. He picked up his and Jason's empty bottles and deposited them in the trash can. "We should meet again soon."

"Have Luke contact Sonny again and I'll meet you. If you send Luke as the contact I will figure the terms are the same as this time." Jason told him as he stood up and put on his jacket.

Mac nodded and he and Jason shook hands again. Jason dialed his phone.

"I'm ready." Jason told him and then hung up.

"You don't waste time on pleasantries do you?" Mac asked with a smile.

"No." Jason answered with a grin. "Robin tried her best to teach me when we were together. I use them sometimes like with Robin or Carly."

Jason turned off the lights. Once he and Mac had time to adjust to the dark, Mac headed out. Jason had his gun out again to make sure Mac made it to his car safely.

A moment after Mac pulled out of the parking lot Jason saw the limo pulling up. He kept his gun out by his side again until he got into the car. It never hurt to be cautious.

Once he was in the car, Jason closed the partition and turned on the light. He pulled the papers Mac had given him from his jacket. It was Martino's rap sheet and it was a long one. Most of them were drug charges. There were some solicitation and assault charges as well.

Jason decided to head back to the hospital until daylight.

_**Author's Note:**__** There will be more action coming up soon for those who are wanting some. However, I won't be rushing this along. I want to do a lot of character development and interaction along the way. **_

_**Be sure to review. I read each one and they help keep me motivated to write!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note:**__** I apologize for the long delay in getting this chapter finished. My daughter was in town over Christmas break and I spent every possible minute with her until she had to return to school. I am back now and will be posting more regularly again. Thanks for your patience. I hope you are still enjoying this story. Please be sure to review.**_

Jason walked into Kelly's and was glad to see that Sam was already there. Immediately after sitting down he pulled out the rap sheet Mac had given him on Martino Pilatti and handed it to Sam. She studied it for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah," Sam said solemnly. "That is the other guy at Robin's house."

"He is a former Zacchara employee. Sonny fired him when we took over." Jason stated. "I need you to start digging into his background and finding out more about his contacts."

"No problem. Mind if I involve Spinelli?" Sam asked.

"I already have him doing a lot of research for me today." Jason said immediately. "He will be busy. You are on your own for the most part."

"Okay. I assume you want it ASAP?" Sam asked questioningly.

"Tonight will be fine. I need your help on teaching a drug dealer a lesson tonight. Meet me at Pier 25 at 8pm."

"Sounds like fun," Sam stated with a smile. "What are we going to do?"

"Blow up the ship and its cargo." Jason said quietly.

"Oh good!" Sam said happily. "I love to play with explosives."

Jason looked at her for a minute trying to decide if her smart mouth was acting up again or if she was serious. In the end, he decided it was the latter and she really did like to play with explosives. He just shook his head and studied the breakfast menu.

Just a minute later Mike walked up to the table with coffee for each of them. Mike was Sonny's biological father. Sonny had been raised by an abusive step-father after Mike had walked out on his family. There was still a lot of tension between the two but they were making progress toward a real relationship. Kelly's was actually owned by Luke Spencer and his sister Bobbie. Neither had time to work there themselves, so them employed Mike as their manager. The arrangement worked well for everyone.

"What can I get for you two today?" Mike asked as he sat down their coffees.

Jason and Sam each ordered the breakfast special. Sam was wondering if Jason was going to eat this time or get up and walk out like he did before. She had given up trying to predict what he was going to do next. He was a mystery most of the time but she didn't really mind. She liked working with Jason. He didn't care that she was a woman like so many others in this business did. He never treated her like she was somehow incompetent because she was a woman. He was willing to teach her and she was ready to learn. The arrangement worked well for both of them.

"I'd like to hold on to this." Jason told Mike as he held his menu. "I'm going to place a lunch order when we leave."

"No problem." Mike told him as he headed off to the kitchen to turn in their order.

The food was good and most people got their orders quickly which made this place a favorite for the dock workers and those on a break from the hospital. Whenever Jason or Sonny came in their orders were always pushed to the front of the line. So it was only a couple minutes later when Mike returned with their food.

Jason and Sam ate quickly. They each had a lot of work to do during the day. Not to mention that they were working that night as well. Jason placed a lunch order on his way out and said he would come by at noon to get it. Mike assured him that it would be hot and ready at noon. Jason just nodded. He had never doubted it, which was why he continued to come to Kelly's. Jason liked people he could count on. It was important in his line of work.

Jason and Sam left the diner together a few minutes later. As Jason walked to his bike he noticed John Zacchara leaning against Sam's car. He stood up when he noticed Jason.

"Everything you need for tonight." John told him as he handed him a gym bag.

Jason checked the bag and then handed it to Sam. While she was putting it in her car Jason started to warn her about how to store it safely but changed his mind. She obviously knew what she was doing so he kept his mouth shut. They all headed in different directions.

Jason was about half way toward the coffee shop when he realized John Zacchara was following him. It struck him as odd since John did not seem to be hiding the fact that he was following him. Jason pulled into an alley off 3rd street to see what he did. John pulled into the alley and parked his car right behind Jason's bike.

"You following me for a reason?" Jason demanded of him immediately.

"What do you know about Sam?" John asked as he looked up and down the alley making sure no one else was around.

"Not much," Jason replied with a sigh. He had work to do and was hoping there was a good reason John was keeping him from it right now. "She is tough, dependable, and knows what she is doing."

"Is she seeing anyone regularly?" John asked.

"If you want to go out with her, ask her." Jason replied curtly. "Leave me out of it."

"I'm not asking you to fix me up. I do just fine on my own thank you!" John stated hotly. He should have known Jason would be difficult.

Jason shrugged and turned to head toward his motorcycle. He had several things he wanted to get done before having lunch with Robin and needed to get going.

"She's spending a lot of time a cop." John stated suddenly.

Jason stopped in his tracks. He turned back toward John and raised his eyebrows. John certainly had his full attention now. His other duties would have to wait. Anyone in Sonny's organization who was talking to the police was a big concern.

"How do you know?" Jason asked him.

"I started getting suspicious about a month ago. She would be on the phone telling someone what time and what pier she was working that night. As soon as she would hear someone coming though she would suddenly change gears and pretend she was ordering lunch or something."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jason asked pointedly.

"What would I tell you, that Sam was on the phone and didn't want people to hear what she was talking about? We are all like that. Like I said though she was giving someone specifics about what time she was doing stuff and where she was doing it at. It made me start paying more attention."

Jason just nodded so John continued.

"The other day when you were brought in for questioning I asked her if she had met Detective Spencer yet. She said that she had seen him around and of course heard about him but she hadn't met him yet. I knew that was a lie because I had seen her phone unattended and I checked the call list. Detective Spencer's cell phone showed up a lot."

"How do you know his cell phone number?" Jason asked immediately.

"I dated his sister you know." John said as he rolled his eyes. "When we were on our dates she would check the caller i.d. before answering. I have a knack for remembering phone numbers. I can recall them years later even if I'd only seen them once or twice."

"Okay, that certainly does sound suspicious. Anything else?"

"Last night I saw Lucky getting off the launch at the docks like he had just gotten back from visiting his brother or something. Anyway, I decided to see where he went next and so I followed him."

"Where did he go?" Jason asked.

"To her apartment," John answered simply.

"Shit." Jason replied. "She claims not to know him but she has been calling him and then he goes to her apartment. This is definitely not good."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," John said quietly.

Jason was silent, his mind racing. He was remembering all the illegal activities Sam had seen since coming to work for them. She had witnessed many activities that could put him in prison for a long time. This could be very bad for him and Sonny. At least she couldn't get them for murder since all discussions of a hit were only done between him and Sonny. No one else was ever allowed to be involved in the process. He was very glad for that right now.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for reading. Please be sure to review each chapter. Your reviews keep me motivated to write.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's Note:**__** Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to submit a review. I read each one carefully. **_

It was later than he had originally planned but Jason was finally at Mac's house to have lunch with Robin. He had casually checked things out as he had walked up to the door. While he waited for her to answer the door he checked again. Everything looked normal. He figured a quiet lunch with Robin would be the perfect contrast to the busy morning.

She was on the phone when she opened the door. She smiled at him and waved him in.

"I appreciate the thought," she was telling the person on the phone. "But I won't need that kind of time. Another week will be fine."

Jason decided to get lunch set out for them while she was on the phone. It had been a very long time since he had been in Mac's house but he figured that the kitchen would be arranged pretty much the way it had been when he and Robin were dating. As he got the drinking glasses, plates, and napkins from the kitchen he realized that he had guessed correctly. The layout was exactly the same as it had been nearly 10 years ago. He also realized that he didn't have any room to judge since his kitchen was exactly the same as it had been when he moved into his penthouse 7 years ago.

"Sorry about that." Robin said. She was hanging up the phone just as Jason returned to the living room. "It was the hospital."

"I brought lunch," Jason told her as he put the plates and stuff on the coffee table. He wanted to tell her not to rush back to work but decided not to. She was capable of deciding when she was ready. Plus he knew from personal experience that work could be very therapeutic. He decided to keep his concern to himself and focus on lunch. "I hope you are hungry. I told Mike I was coming to see you and he packed a lot of extra treats for you."

Robin watched as Jason unloaded the bulging to go bag. Apparently Mike really had thrown in a lot of treats. There were chocolate cookies which everyone knew were her favorite. She reached over and grabbed one while Jason continued to unload the bag. He set out their food orders as well as large pieces of chocolate cake, a large bowl of Mike's famous chili, and a large salad with several packets of organic dressing that Robin liked so much.

"There's enough food here to feed an army." Robin told him quietly. Something in her voice caught his attention and he looked up from the food. He found that she was looking very intently at him.

"What?" He asked curiously.

"Something is bothering you," Robin stated. It was not a question. It was something she knew to be fact. "You are tense and there is something different in your voice."

The fact that Jason Morgan even had emotions would shock a large number of people. He was simply so good at keeping them in check that a lot of people took his lack of reaction to be a lack of feeling. That wasn't the case and only a few people knew that for sure. Robin was one of them.

Jason had always told Robin that she didn't have to lie to him because she would always try to say she was fine when really she wasn't. The reverse was also true and he knew that he never had to lie to her. He felt comfortable sharing things with Robin that he wouldn't share with others. It was amazing that they were as close as they were considering how badly things had gotten between them when they broke up. Maybe time really did heal things, he thought briefly but dismissed it just as quickly. Time hadn't healed their relationship, they had. Neither of one of them was happy with how things had ended between them. They had taken steps to make things better. Even though they were done as a couple they had decided to fight for their friendship, for the closeness that they had shared. They had won that fight and had come out on the other side with a deep and abiding trust in each other that could not be shaken.

"Yes." Jason said simply as he sat down. Robin sat down next to him and waited. She knew he would share what he felt he could when he was ready. "Someone that I trust and consider to be a friend may be working against me."

"What an awful feeling!" Robin said sincerely. She wrapped her arms around Jason and hugged her friend. Jason remained silent just as Robin figured he would. She did notice that he did not pull away from the hug as quickly as he normally would have. He was obviously hurting and she wanted to make it better, like he would want to do for her. She couldn't do anything for him really except let him know she really cared, that he had a friend she thought suddenly. It was like what he had written on her card when he delivered the flowers to the hospital saying that she had a friend.

"I'll be right back," Robin told Jason as she pulled away from their embrace. He watched her head upstairs quickly. She seemed alright so he did not follow her. He waited on the couch for her to return.

She returned quickly and sat down beside him on the couch again.

"Close your eyes," Robin told him quietly. She knew he hated to do that. He really hated when someone covered his eyes and told him to 'guess.' He was always steadfast in his refusal to play in guessing games. Robin knew this and would never ask him to guess on anything. She also knew that he didn't like closing his eyes when asked. However, for a very small group of people he was willing to make an exception. He closed his eyes without saying a word. "Hold out your hand."

"A friend of mine gave me this when I was going through a really rough time to remind me that even though things were bad, I wasn't alone. It really helped me and I wanted you to know the same thing." Robin told him emotionally as she placed a small card in his hand.

The moment he opened his eyes Jason recognized the card. He couldn't help but give her one of his very rare heartfelt smiles. He opened the card and read 'You have a friend.' He had known she would recognize the full meaning of that sentence when he gave her the flowers, just as he recognized it now. It didn't change the situation about the possibility of Sam working with the police. However, it did make him feel better anyway.

"Thank you," he said as he handed her back the card. "There are still tough times ahead for you and I want you to keep it. Each of us will know that a friend is only a phone call away."

Robin nodded without saying a word. Truthfully, she didn't trust herself to speak at that moment. She was overcome with emotions and could not have sorted them out if her life had depended on it.

Jason took one of Robin's hands in his. She felt the intensity of his gaze all around her and turned her head to look him directly in the eye. She realized that she could easily get lost in his eyes. It was something she somehow managed to forget every couple of years until something would come up and she would find herself staring into his eyes. Those eyes that everyone said were empty and devoid of human emotion. Robin however knew different. His eyes were so full of pieces of himself that she truly did consider them to be the windows to his soul. His soul cared so deeply and wanted so much to help, to somehow make things right for her. His admiration of her shone through just as intently. It was an intense moment and ultimately it caused her shudder for a brief second. It was simply too intense for her.

Robin broke off the eye contact and turned her head slowly and looked at the fireplace. Wordlessly, Jason used one of his fingers to gently lift her head up and toward him again. There was the smallest hint of a smile in the corners of his mouth and she noticed it. He knew the moment was intense for her, just as it was for him. He did not know why but he simply knew instinctively that he had to make her face the intensity of this moment.

Apparently she recognized the need to meet this moment head on as well. Jason watched her take a steadily breath before she raised her eyes to meet the intensity of his gaze again. 'She is amazing' he thought to himself as she looked into his eyes every bit as intently as he was looking into hers.

"You are focusing on me and my problem when you need to focused on your grief and making a new life for yourself and your child." Jason told her gently as he continued to look deeply into her eyes. He was sure that he could even feel her heart beating in her chest at that moment. Although, with how intently his own heart was beating he couldn't rule out the possibility that she could hear his heart beating as well.

"I know," Robin admitted softly. "At this particular moment, your problems feel more manageable to me than my own."

"Grief is hard and everyone goes through it their own way. The important thing is to let yourself feel it so that you can begin to work through it." Jason told her.

"That's very insightful." Robin told him. He simply nodded.

"I thought so too the first time I heard it" Jason said with a smile. "You told me that after Emily's death."

"It's easier to tell someone how to deal with their grief than it is to deal with your own," Robin told him.

"I can't go through your grief for you Robin," Jason told her as he wrapped his arms around her. "But I will go with you."

Robin relaxed into Jason's comforting touch. It would not be an easy journey but most of her life to that point had not been easy either. She had suffered a lot of losses but she always managed to get through them and they had helped make her stronger. Robin knew she could get through this and make a life for herself and her child on her own. She was glad that she didn't have to do it alone. She was grateful to have the support of her Uncle Mac and Jason.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thank you for reading. Please be sure to submit a review.**_


	12. Chapter 12

Jason left Mac's a little while later so he get back to work. There was a lot to be dealt with and most of it involved Sam. Jason had filled Sonny in on what John had found out and he was concerned as well. He had ordered Jason to take Sam off the schedule for tonight and bring in someone they could trust. It made sense of course and he immediately asked Johnny to go with him instead. Sonny didn't trust John as much as Jason did but right now they all trusted him more than they did Sam.

"It's time to confront this head on" Jason stated aloud to himself. He grabbed his phone and called John Zacchara.

"Can you come up with a legitimate reason to get Sam out of her apartment in the next hour?" Jason asked without preamble when John picked up.

"Yes" John assured him immediately. He wasn't sure how yet but he was very good at thinking on his feet and knew he could come up with a good reason quickly enough. John did not like Sonny very much but he liked Jason well enough. More than that, he had respect for Jason.

"I don't want her to be the least bit suspicious" Jason told him. "I need enough time to search her apartment thoroughly."

"I can get her out no problem" John told him confidently.

John had not let him down yet so Jason accepted his word at face value and headed out. A little while later Jason watched Sam exit her apartment building and get into her car. She was careful he noted to himself as he watched her look casually around for anything out of the ordinary. Jason had figured she would be careful and had taken the precaution of securing a rental car before heading over. He was glad now that he had.

Breaking into her apartment had been trickier than expected. She had installed some additional security measures which made him wonder if it was because she was cautious or because she had something to hide. He certainly hoped he could gain some insight by searching her apartment.

Over the years Jason had found that nearly everyone had things hidden in their homes that they didn't want anyone to find. Most of them tended to be kept in one of a few spots like in a waterproof container in the water storage part of a toilet, in the freezer, or in a safe. He found some money and a fake id hidden under a layer of frost in her freezer. It was a good idea because she could tell at a glance if someone had searched her freezer. She was smart he had to remind himself. The fact that she had some money and a fake id hidden away did not bother Jason at all. It was simply a reasonable thing to do in their line of work. Always be ready to make a quick getaway if need be.

Jason was very methodical but not neat in his search. He had already disturbed her stash in the freezer so she would know her apartment had been searched. It made it faster on Jason since he didn't have to put everything back where it had been to cover up his presence. While searching under the bed Jason found a loose board. He pushed the bed aside and pulled up the board. Inside he found a notebook and a photo album. Inside the photo album he found pictures of her and Lucky Spencer together as well as pictures of her and another young man. He also found some additional money as well as new id's and passports for her and the other young man in the photo album. This was very curious.

He sat down on her bed and began reading the journal. It was a listing of many of the shipments she had piloted into the harbor since coming to work for Sonny. Jason could tell at a glance that it was not a comprehensive list because she had done hundreds of shipments for them in the past few years. Her notebook only listed the details on 30 of them. He wasn't sure what, but Jason felt that something was off about the shipments listed. He called Spinelli and told him to research every one of those shipments and then get back to him.

There was nothing else in her apartment that was out of the ordinary. He had proof that she knew Lucky Spencer but that was all. There was nothing wrong with her knowing a police officer.

"So what if she knows a police detective," Jason said out loud. "I know the Police Commissioner. What is the big deal?"

The answer came to him immediately. She was hiding it. He didn't hide any of his contacts with the police from Sonny. He was open and honest about all of it. He had shown Sonny that he could trust him. They had thought they could trust Sam too but now they find out she is lying about her involvement with the police. He had to have some more answers. Searching her apartment had not yielded as much information as he hoped. It was time to confront Sam.

Jason's cell phone rang. He checked the caller i.d. and saw that it was Spinelli.

"Spinelli, tell me you have something." Jason said.

"Something of a unique and curious nature Stone Cold."

"What is it?"

"I investigated each shipment like you asked and they all had several interesting facets in common. Fair Samantha was the harbor pilot for each one a…"

"I already knew that," Jason announced quickly. "Tell me something I don't know."

"None of these shipments were illegal Stone Cold," Spinelli announced in a rare display of directness. "She only made notes on the legitimate coffee shipments to Corinthos/Morgan."

Jason shook his head. This was not making any sense. She had seen and heard more than enough to put him in prison for the rest of his life. Yet the only notes she had were of the legitimate shipments? He was even more confused as he hung with Spinelli. He definitely needed to talk to Sam.

It wasn't too long afterward that John called Jason to let him know that he and Sam had finished their meeting. Jason decided it was time to get the answers from her and he did not feel like going about it the nice way. It was time to compel the answers from her.

He just had to figure out how. He didn't particularly enjoy beating the answers out of anyone but it had proven to be a very effective tool. It was usually a fast way to get at the truth. He needed the truth and he needed it fast. There was just no way that Jason could ever set out to hurt a woman. Sam knew the rules and the risks she was taking by being involved with the mob. Anyone involved with the mob risked their life on a daily basis it was a known risk. Anyone informing to the police on the mob was not only risking their lives, they were risking being tortured before they died to find out what information that had given up. Sam knew all this when she joined up.

Jason shook his head. No way. He just could not intentionally hurt a woman. He just couldn't do it! He respected women way too much. If he hurt a woman intentionally he would never be able to look Monica or Robin in the eye again. What was he going to do? He needed the answers and he wasn't sure how to get them. No way would he involve Robin in anything mob related. The same went for Monica. A moment later Carly popped into his head. He could ask Carly without giving her too many details. She was Sonny's ex-wife and knew a lot about how it worked and he knew she would never say anything to the police. He quickly dialed her phone.

Occasionally Jason would forget how protective of him Carly had become. She depended on him to keep her and her kids alive from Sonny's enemies and he always came through for her. Somewhere along the way she had become fiercely protective of him too and woe to any woman she thought was trying to come between her and Jason. Jason almost laughed out loud because Carly believed every woman even those he was friends with were out to get him and posed a threat to her relationship with him. Had he told her who he was suspicious of, Jason was certain that she would have charged over there to handle Sam herself.

Despite her over-the-top behavior, Carly had good instincts. She had insights that he hadn't thought of. Ultimately she provided him with the answer he needed by asking him one question.

"Does she believe you will hurt her?" Carly had asked him at one point. Immediately he had known that was the answer. He didn't have to actually hurt Sam to get the answers he needed. He just had to make her believe that he would hurt her.

It wasn't too long before he saw Sam walking toward her apartment door. He knew she would have to fumble a little with the lock because he had unscrewed several of the light bulbs in the hallway. It made it difficult for her to see the lock clearly.

Jason slipped silently from the stairwell and stayed in the shadows. Sam bent over to get a closer look so she could put the key into the lock. She heard the gun cock just as she felt it press firmly into the hollow spot at the base of her skull. She left the key dangling in the lock and raised her hands. Sam offered no resistance as he reached into her waistband and removed her gun.

Moving quickly before she could mount a resistance, Jason dropped Sam's gun into the pocket of his leather jacket. Then he slipped his gun into his right hand while he continued pushing it firmly into the back of her head. He immediately snaked his left hand firmly around her mouth to prevent her from screaming.

"Open the door." He ordered with a fierce whisper into her ear. He was certain that she did not know who was holding her at gunpoint yet.

She complied quickly. Once she pushed the door to her apartment open Jason felt her set her left foot and realized she was going to resist. He had figured she would. She was simply too good in this business to let someone hold her at gunpoint without trying to regain the upper hand. Jason raised his foot and firmly kicked the back of her left knee. She buckled immediately and tried use the momentum to pull her and her attacker to the ground. Jason had been prepared for this move and simply picked her up and stepped into the apartment. He kicked the door closed behind him.

Two minutes later Jason had wrestled the struggling Sam into the chair he had set in the middle of the living room and managed to tie her securely and put a gag on her. The gag was going to be temporary of course since he needed her to answer some questions. In the meantime however it managed to convince her that he was the one in control of this situation. He knew she was frightened and was going to use it to his advantage. He needed the fear of violence to get the truth out of her. She needed to think he would really hurt her. He had to apply just enough force to show her that he could and hope that she would cooperate. In the end he would never really hurt her. His plan hinged on her not calling his bluff.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for reading. Please be sure to review.**_


	13. Chapter 13

Jason stepped away from Sam. She was struggling fiercely to free herself but he knew that she couldn't. He knew she was smart and strong and had made sure her restraints were very secure. He reached over and turned on the overhead light.

Sam squinted for a moment at the brightness of the light. Jason watched her eyes widen in shock when she saw that he was her attacker. Jason gave Sam his best imitation of an evil smile before walking into her kitchen. She watched him pick up one knife after another until he had selected her newest and sharpest one. He smiled at it and nodded his head in approval and began to approach his bound and gagged victim.

Sam had been frightened when she was attacked in the hall. That had given way to anger when her escape attempt failed. Shock took over from there when she realized that her attacker was her supposed friend and partner. Now, as she watched Jason approach her with the knife she was truly convinced that he had suffered some sort of psychotic break and that she was about to die.

Jason watched the emotions play across Sam's face. He saw her eyes get wide and ever more terrified as he continued to advance on her. He was having a war within himself. One side of him was screaming at him for terrifying her like that. Another side of him was reminding him that he had to do this now so he could convince her that she was in danger and get the answers from her without actually hurting her. From somewhere else a third voice chimed into his head to watch the clock because he still had to make an example of the drug dealer who was using their shipping lanes.

"Stay on task!" Jason shouted to all three voices in his head. This was going to be hard enough to do without getting distracted by the various parts of himself that were all clamoring for attention. In the end, Jason's self discipline won out and he was able to shove all the voices away and focus himself completely on the task at hand.

Jason continued his slow advance on Sam until he was standing next to her. He slid the back of the knife up her chin until the blade came in contact with the cloth he had her gagged with. She watched every move with obvious terror in her eyes. He could also see that she was struggling not to show him that fear. He leaned down so that his mouth was next to her ear.

"Are you ready to behave now? Can I take the gag off without you screaming?" He whispered fiercely into her ear.

Immediately Sam began nodding her head up and down ever so slightly. She was careful not to get cut in the process. Jason knew he had her right where he wanted her at that point. She would be compliant and pretty easy to control as long as he could maintain the balance between keeping her in fear and giving her hope of getting out unharmed.

Jason slit through the cloth that was servicing as a gag. It fell into a heap on Sam's lap. She moved her jaw around to loosen the stiffness. Like she had promised, Sam did not scream. Jason nodded at her.

"I know it sounds a little cliché but there are two ways we can do this. The easy way or the hard way" Jason stated matter-of-factly. He followed it up with a hard look. It was effective on just about everyone he had used it on. Sonny tended to refer to it as Jason's "prison yard" look despite the fact that Jason had never been to prison.

"It seems to me like you already picked the hard way. You are supposed to be my friend. I thought we were a team and we had each other's backs. I never expected you to be the one to attack me. I trusted you!" Sam spat back at him.

"Trust? How dare you speak to me about trust. You are informing on me and/or Sonny to the cops!" Jason absently picked up the knife again. He watched Sam stiffen. "You know the penalty for that kind of betrayal…."

Jason had always been good at telling if someone was telling him the truth or not. When he had first started working for him Sonny had referred to him as "the human lie detector." It was a skill that still served him well. He watched Sam closely for her reaction. Her body language as well as her words would tell him a lot. He just hoped he got the answer he was wishing for.

Sam's reaction was intense and immediate. Her eyes got wide in shock and she began forcefully shaking her head no at him. The part that convinced Jason though was how fast the color drained from her face. Her cheeks had been flush from anger but now she looked deathly pale as the full implication of what he had said registered in her head.

"I have not betrayed you or Sonny. I swear it!" Sam stated forcefully as she looked Jason directly in the eye.

"Then you need to explain some things to me Sam. It looks like you are a traitor to the organization right now and you know what happens to traitors."

"I'll tell you anything you want to know." Sam told him intently. She continued to look him directly in the eye while speaking to him.

Jason nodded and put down the knife. He made sure it was still within easy reach. So far his plan was working. She was cooperating with him and he needed to keep that going. He needed to show her he was really willing to listen and consider what she was saying. Putting down the knife lowered the fear of imminent harm but by keeping it in reach he was reinforcing to her that he had complete control of her fate.

Suddenly an image of Robin being tied to that chair appeared in his head. Her terror shone by the deathly pallor of her skin. Her eyes pleaded with him to help her. Jason jumped up so suddenly that the chair he had been sitting in overturned. He had to clear his head so he went into the kitchen. Not knowing what else to do he opened the refrigerator door and peeked inside. The change in scenery was enough to help him regain control of his emotions. Once again he pushed everything else out of his mind and continued to be the cold, hard enforcer of Sonny Corinthos.

Sam had started to relax a little when she saw Jason put the knife down. She was beginning to think that he would really listen to her explanation and would see that she was not the traitor that he thought she was. When she watched him jump up like that and go into the kitchen she became afraid again. From where she was sitting it appeared as though Jason were fighting voices in his head. She could only hope that the voices weren't telling him to kill her. Her restraints were too secure for her to get out of right now so she couldn't mount an effective physical resistance. She needed to rely on her brain and find a way to convince him that she was on his side, that she was not a threat.

A moment later Jason closed the refrigerator door. Sam saw that he was holding two diet sodas in his hand as he returned to the living room. He certainly looked much calmer now and she was hopeful that he had regained control over the voices in his head. She wasn't sure how long the control would last and figured she better convince him fast!

"Are you thirsty?" Jason asked her as set the sodas down on the table. He returned the chair to it's normal position and sat down.

"Yes." Sam said as he nodded her head in affirmation.

"If I loosen your right hand will you behave?" Jason asked her.

"I promise." She assured him immediately.

Jason watched her carefully. He could almost see the thoughts running through her head right then. She would most definitely be trying to decide if she could effectively mount a rescue attempt with only one hand freed. He watched her mind speed through the calculations and reach the same conclusion that he had. Jason had a knife, both guns, and superior physical strength and was not hampered by any restraints. They both knew that she had no real chance of escape. By bringing her a soda and then loosening a hand so that she could drink it, Jason was lowering the level of fear that she was feeling. He was giving her an incentive to cooperate.

Sam watched Jason retrieve a length of rope from her bag in the closet. Like most others involved in the higher levels of mob activity, Sam had a well stocked "go bag" which she could grab at a moment's notice and contained the items she used most often while on assignment. It had been a friendly tip from Jason that prompted her to have a second "go bag." He told her that he kept one in his apartment and one in his suv and she immediately recognized the wisdom of that and had done the same.

Within a couple of minutes Jason used the length of rope to allow Sam enough movement of her right arm that she could drink her soda while still being fastened to the chair. She was disappointed that he had not completely released her arm. On the other hand, she knew that it made sense from a tactical standpoint. While the restraints were firm, they were not painful and she was glad for that.

"Here you go" Jason told her as he handed her an open soda. He remembered just before he handed it to her that she would be unable to open it herself.

"Thank you." Sam told him as she took the soda. She really was thirsty and was thankful to have the cold soda to drink right then.

"How do you know Detective Spencer?" Jason asked her once he returned to his chair.

"We met about six months ago. He and Robin were playing a game of pool while she was waiting for Patrick to show up. At first I didn't know he was a cop."

"What is the nature of your association with him?" Jason asked her. It briefly dawned on him that he might be beginning to speak like Spinelli. He pushed through that discomforting thought and continued his interrogation of Sam.

"We are kind of dating." She told him quickly. He recognized it as the truth but not the whole truth. There was more and he wanted to know what it was. He had to know what it was. His and Sonny's futures depended on him getting all the information from her.

If he allowed himself to feel anything at this point he knows how awful he would feel. It takes a special kind of monster to threaten a bound woman with a knife. However, it was do it this way or Sonny would insist she be asked the questions another way and they would not just threaten to hurt her. He was only threatening. She did not know that. If he had any doubts at all about that, they were allayed when he saw her stiffen again when he picked up the knife.

"I assure you Samantha that now is not the time to trifle with me. Tell me the truth, the whole truth or we will have to go to the hard way." Even Jason is surprised at the coldness in his voice as he utters this statement.

_**Author's Note:**__** I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story. Many of you have added this story as a favorite and I really love that. Thank you very much. Please be sure to submit a review on each chapter. I love to find out what you think of each step as this story progresses.**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note:**__** I plan to post chapters on this story fairly regularly. It is my plan to post one or two chapters each week. To all to have submitted reviews: Thank you very much! They help keep me writing.**_

Jason intentionally kept his face expressionless. On the inside he wanted to laugh at the flash of anger that shot through Sam's face when he called her Samantha. He made note of it for future reference.

"What is it you want to know?" Sam asked. She visibly relaxed a little more when she saw him return to his chair.

"What exactly is your relationship with Lucky Spencer?" Jason asked. He figured if he could get her to come clean on this question everything else would fall into place. If she called his bluff however they were all in trouble. He sure hoped she would cooperate this time and be completely honest.

Sam didn't really want to answer that question with the whole truth. It wasn't that she was betraying Sonny or Jason because she wasn't. It was just something she would rather keep to herself. However, Jason's body language was tense and that gave Sam pause. She knew she was going to have to answer the question or things really would get worse. There was simply no other choice but to tell Jason the whole ugly truth.

"He's a mark." Sam stated simply. She didn't know any other way to put it right now.

That certainly surprised Jason and he didn't mind letting it show. He raised his eyebrows at her but said nothing. He nodded his head at her to continue.

"Where did you put my photo album?" Sam asked suddenly. Jason had to smile. She had no doubt that he had found it. It was good that she wasn't underestimating him.

Jason nodded and got up to hand her the photo album that was sitting at the far end of the couch. He held it just slightly out of her reach.

"I will completely untie your hand if you promise to continue behaving." Jason stated.

"Do I have any choice?" Sam asked him directly. They both knew the answer to that.

"No." Jason answered firmly. "It is good that you have recognized that."

"Bastard" Sam said under her breath.

"So they tell me." Jason stated with a smile. He finished untying the rope so that her right hand was completely free. He handed her the photo album which she immediately pulled against her like it was her last remaining possession.

Jason opened his mouth to say something but then his phone rang. He quickly checked the caller id and saw that it was John Zacchara. It was getting close to time to head to the docks. He and John had a ship to blow up to teach a drug dealer a lesson about transporting drugs through Port Charles. He flipped open his phone.

"What is it?" Jason asked as he stepped into Sam's bathroom. It provided him with a little more privacy, though not very much.

"I have my eyes and my gun trained on you." Jason warned Sam.

"What the hell for?" John demanded angrily into the phone.

"Not you." Jason said as he shook his head impatiently. "On my prisoner."

"Sam?" John asked suddenly

"That is correct. What can I do for you?"

"I have acquired a second set of materials for tonight. It sounds like you are a bit tied up right now. I handle this alone."

"I'm not the one tied up," Jason stated with a laugh. "Do you know what you are doing?"

"Course," John replied simply. "I've been blowing things up since I was 10."

"I hope not literally." Jason said as he continued to keep an eye on Sam from the bathroom. He was glad that John could do this alone. He wasn't done with Sam yet and he didn't really want to leave her tied up while he went to the docks to take care of this.

"Pretty much." John said confirming Jason's fear that he had been speaking literally. "You forget what a true psychopath my father really is. I was just a kid the first time he tried to kill me. He thought my mom was spending too much time with me and not enough with him so he tried to shoot me. My mom ran to cover me with her own body. He killed her with the bullet he meant for me."

"Remind me to thank Monica sometime." Jason stated in a rare mention of the Quartermaine family that didn't illicit a groan from him. "As messed up as things were, they just tried to kill each other. They never tried to kill us kids. At least that is what everybody told me."

"Damn." John said aloud. It helped explain a lot about Jason. "I wish I could forget my entire childhood."

"No you don't." Jason replied immediately. "It shapes who you are even if you don't want it to. If you don't remember your childhood you just end up wondering why you are as messed up as you are. It is better to have the insight."

"I suppose so," John agreed quietly. He was surprised at how forth right Jason was being right now. He never spoke about himself. He had learned more about Jason tonight than he had in the last couple of years since meeting him. "You take care of things there. I got our drug dealer covered."

"You sure?" Jason asked. "I don't want to have to explain to your ex-girlfriend what went wrong."

"I'm sure," John assured him immediately. "Lulu knows I chose this life and that I like living dangerously. I think she kind of figures I'll get myself killed doing something stupid someday."

"Just don't make it on my watch. Call me when you are done." Jason stated simply. He had slipped back into his enforcer mode and shut off his feelings so he could finish the work with Sam.

"No problem." John stated as he hung up.

Jason put his phone back into his pocket as he returned to the living room. He watched Sam glance lovingly at the pictures in the album. She passed quickly over the ones of her and Lucky. However, she lingered awhile on the pictures of her and the other young man. Jason suspected he was the key to a lot of this.

"So, Lucky is a mark" Jason said as a prompt for Sam to continue.

"Yes. I am using him to gain access to someone else who can help me."

"Explain the plan to me." Jason instructed her.

"It is a work in progress so it isn't complete yet. Basically I am dating Lucky to have frequent access to Nikolas and his aunt Alexis Davis."

"You want access to the District Attorney?"

"Yes because of my brother Danny." Sam pointed to a picture of her and the other young man Jason had seen in the photo album. "He is slightly challenged and needs an expensive private school to help him. That is why I came to work for you and Sonny. You pay well and there are opportunities to make a lot of money."

"So where does Alexis fit in?"

"Danny was convicted of a crime he did not commit. He is locked up in a mental hospital. I don't understand all the legal parts of it but basically I can't get another hearing into Danny's case unless a law enforcement officer or the District Attorney decide to reopen the case. There are some sort of special rules because of Danny's status. He is slightly mentally challenged."

Jason watched Sam as she explained this to him. All indications were she was telling the truth. He believed her. 'Trust but verify' being his guiding principal in a case like this, Jason decided he would call Diane in the morning and ask her about it.

"Alexis hates everything mob related. Once she finds out you work for us she will refuse to help." Jason stated thoughtfully.

"I explained that I am a harbor pilot for Corinthos/Morgan Coffee and that I took the job because it pays well and lets me have flexible hours. She asked me about my shipments and said I might be hauling illegal things. I told her I didn't ask many questions but everything seemed on the up and up on my shifts. That was when I started making a log of the legitimate shipments I piloted. Lucky checked them out and told her that everything was legit. She said she would look into it a little but no promises."

"So why not just tell me or Sonny about this and see if we could help?"

"The same reason you visited Robin in the hospital at night or see her in private places. You don't want anyone realizing she is a good way to get to you."

Jason nodded. He completely understood that. He felt much better now. The idea of Sam being a traitor was hard to take. So was the idea of prison if she had been working with the cops. Her story made sense and he believed she was being completely honest with him.

"Jason," Sam spoke cautiously, like she was walking on egg shells with what she had to say. "Assuming you decide to believe me and realize that I am not a traitor, can we not tell Sonny about my brother?"

"I believe you, Sam." Jason began in his calming tone. At least that was what Robin always called it. She said he could soften the blow of whatever he was saying when he used that tone. Being a mob enforcer, he didn't use it very often. "I don't withhold information or lie to Sonny, ever. I will tell him everything. You can talk to him about it later but I am sure he will keep it strictly between the three of us."

"Danny doesn't understand what is happening right now. He didn't do anything wrong and he doesn't like the mental hospital. I have to get him out of there soon, Jason. I like Lucky and I can tolerate Alexis. I will use anyone I have to get him freed!"

"Sam, I am willing to help any way I can."

"I sense a but coming."

"Yes," Jason nodded. "I am concerned that my involvement could make it worse for you and him."

"I understand. I think Alexis is really trying and she may be able to accomplish something. I need you and Sonny to let me continue working this my way right now."

Jason nodded his approval. This time he smiled when he picked up the knife. He watched to see if she would stiffen again. She didn't. Jason cut her restraints and offered her his hand to help her stand while the feeling returned in her limbs.

The moment Sam got her footing she let go of Jason's hand. In the next instant she slammed her fist full force into his face. It barely rocked him and that really infuriated her and she set herself to try again. He reached up and grabbed her wrist and applied enough force to stop her without hurting her.

"You are telegraphing your moves, Sam. You have a lot of power in your punch and if you weren't letting me know in advance, that one would have really rocked me."

"Then why?"

"I figured I deserved it." Jason told her honestly. "The first one is free. If you want me to, sometime I can show you what you are doing to telegraph your moves. It is slight and it wouldn't take much to correct it."

"You were expecting me to try something like that so you were watching for it?" Sam asked.

Jason nodded. "You are strong and you are tough and I knew you wouldn't let this go without some sort of a response. It is what I would have done."

Jason helped Sam straighten up her apartment. Then he grabbed his coat and his bag and headed for the door.

"Sonny will understand if you don't want to work with me anymore." Jason told her quietly.

Sam looked at him intently for a moment before answering. "I trust you Jason. You warned me when I signed on exactly what I was getting into. You made it clear that you would protect Sonny and his family at all costs. I understand and respect that. I have no problem working with you."

Jason simply nodded and closed the door quietly on his way out. He was really glad this was over and that it had turned out well.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for continued reading. I do hope that you are enjoying this story. There is still much to come. Please be sure to review for me. THANKS!**_


	15. Chapter 15

Jason woke up the next morning with a strange feeling. He wasn't alarmed or even worried really. It was just that something was slightly off about the room. Sitting up he heard the shower running in his bathroom and realized that was the problem. Someone was in his shower and he wanted to know who the hell they were and why they were there!

Grabbing a pair of shorts off the chair where he had thrown them the night before he hurriedly jumped into them. Deciding not to bother with the t-shirt at the moment he turned to head into the bathroom. It was then that the bathroom door opened. It took him a moment to grasp that the figure before him wearing his robe and having her hair up in a towel was Spinelli's girlfriend, Maxie Jones. Jason found Maxie hard to deal with unless it was in very short bursts. Any extended contact with her and she would continue to go on and on about things he couldn't even begin to care about in the fashion world. Somewhere along the way he would get so bored that his eyes would glaze over and he would begin to wonder if shooting himself in the head might be a better option than having to listen to her. Dealing with Maxie was always a chore but faced with her the very first thing in the morning was asking a lot. Finding her in his bedroom was more than he could take.

"Honestly Jason!" Maxie began in her high-pitched scolding tone "there are other people in the house. You could at least have the decency to put some clothes on!"

Jason stared at her for a moment. He wasn't even sure where to begin. She was scolding him in his own house, in his own bedroom no less. Part of him wanted to innumerate the many ways she was in the wrong at the moment. Another part of him wanted to put his hands around her neck and choke the life out of her. Coming silently to the forefront, a third portion of Jason's mind took control and it immediately ruled out the first two options.

Instead he marched across the room and took Maxie by the elbow. He ignored her look which was an equal mix of shock and fear. Wordlessly he took a firm hold on her elbow and pulled her with him across the room. Upon reaching his bedroom door he shoved her into the hall and then slammed the door as hard as he could. The noise reverberated loudly in the hallway. It served to knock the pictures from their spots lining the wall and to wake Spinelli from a sound sleep.

Three quarters of an hour later a freshly showered and dressed Jason Morgan headed down the stairs to the living room. Spinelli and Maxie were fidgeting as they sat silently on the couch.

"What on earth were you doing on my shower?" Jason demanded of Maxie. While he was still very upset, the initial anger had passed now and he was calmer than he had been upstairs.

Just then there was a knock at the front door. Spinelli got up to answer the door. Normally he would have checked the peep hole before opening the door and announced their visitor. His mind was not on the door at the moment. He was focused solely on his mentor and his "beloved Maximista" and opened the door without even looking to see who was standing there. Both Maxie and Jason were equally oblivious to the visitor as well.

"I needed a shower after last night's ah, activities," Maxie was saying to Jason. "I was planning to get showered and get out before you woke up."

"What activities would those be?" Maxie's father Police Commissioner Mac Scorpio demanded from the doorway. "Just get your things Maxie; I am taking you home this instant."

"No. I am an adult now Mac and I will date whoever I want to." Maxie stated defiantly.

"I want to know what is going on." Mac demanded of his daughter and Spinelli.

While the three of them talked somewhat heatedly Jason's phone rang. 'Saved by the bell' he thought as he answered the phone.

"Yeah?" Jason asked immediately.

"Jason," Robin said quietly. "I need to talk to you. When will you have some time?"

"How about now?" Jason asked promptly. Her voice was calm and steady but something still nagged at him and he wanted to see her immediately. "Where are you?"

"Dutton's." Robin replied simply. Jason nodded even though he knew Robin couldn't see it. It explained a lot about the quietness of her voice. Being at the funeral home had to be extremely difficult on her.

"I'm on my way," Jason assured her. So far he was running under Mac's radar today and he wanted to keep it that way. Instead of removing the lock box from the closet and inserting the clip in his gun before leaving the house as was his custom; he simply took the lock box with him as he quietly slipped out his front door.

Once the elevator doors closed Jason took his gun from the lock box and inserted the clip. He tended to feel naked until he felt the gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans in the small of his back. He wasn't expecting any trouble today but experience had taught him to always be prepared for it anyway.

Stepping off the elevator Jason went straight to his SUV. It was second nature to Jason to always be mindful of security. He checked each room as he entered it and always kept an eye out for a tail while driving. The 20 minute drive to Dutton's Funeral Home was uneventful.

Heading into the building Jason thought to himself that he had been here too many times. It was Sonny's custom to pay for the funeral of anyone who died while working for him. They always used Dutton's Funeral Home and the owner and his sons tended to be very accommodating to their wishes.

"Good morning Mr. Morgan" Tim Dutton said as he approached Jason. He was the oldest son and the heir apparent if his father ever decided to retire. Unlike his father, Tim was nervous around Jason and Sonny.

"Good to see you Tim," Jason said as he shook hands with the man. He glanced casually around the room as he did so.

"Dr. Scorpio is in the office with my father." Tim told him as he pointed toward the door at the end of the hall.

Robin looked up as Jason knocked on the door and then entered. Frank Dutton stood up and walked around the desk to shake hands.

"Always good to see you Jason," Frank said with a smile. "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"So do I." Jason agreed as he sat in the chair next to Robin. Frank went into the hall leaving Jason and Robin to talk in his office privately.

"My mom called last night. Dad is meeting her in London today and they will fly over together." Robin said quietly. She was talking so quietly that it seemed to Jason she was talking to herself more than him. He reached over and patted her hand. She grabbed it and held tightly.

"I went in to see Patrick." Robin said in a whisper. "I always loved to see him wearing that suit. He looks good. Better than I thought he would. He had so much blood on him that night."

"Robin?" Jason asked hesitantly.

"A lot of what happened that night started coming back when I saw him in the coffin."

"Are you ready to talk about it?" Jason asked with concern.

"I think so," Robin replied in that far away voice that was beginning to worry Jason. "I can't talk here. I need to get out of here."

Jason nodded. They needed someplace private to talk where she could relax and take all the time she needed to fill him in on what she remembered. It was then that the cabin he bought on the outskirts of town would be perfect. It was secluded to afford them all the privacy they could want.

Robin just looked at him as he held her coat for her. She made no move to put it on so he simply put it around her shoulders. With his arm across her shoulder he guided her from the office and toward the front door.

Frank Dutton was talking with his son Tim as they entered the foyer. He opened the door for Jason who was holding tightly to Robin.

"One of us will call you later to finalize everything." Jason said simply as he steered Robin toward his SUV. "Sonny will send someone over later to get her car and take care of things."

Jason registered the look of nervousness that crossed Tim Dutton's face but brushed it from his thoughts immediately. Frank understood that Jason was referring to the cost of the funeral and the fact that Jason was planning on paying for everything. He hoped Frank never retired.

Once they reached the SUV Jason opened the passenger side door. Wordlessly Robin climbed in and buckled her seat belt. Jason set her purse on the floorboard by her feet before closing the door carefully. He really wished he could make everything okay for her again. It was so much to ask anyone to process. However, he knew without a doubt that she would process it in her own time and find a way to go on with her life. She would say that he gave her his strength. Maybe he did but she gave him hers as well. They made each other strong.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thank you for reading. Please be sure to review.**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Author's Note:**__** Many of you have added this as your favorite story and I wanted to say thanks. I also wanted to remind everyone that I do not own ABC/GH or any of the characters. I would be very willing to help GH with the writing anytime they want. Ha-Ha, like they would ever ask! Anyway, thank you!**_

Jason headed north on Lake Shore Drive to head out of town. The cabin was nearly an hour's drive from town. He had always found it a peaceful drive once you reached the outskirts of town. The roads were mostly deserted and he enjoyed seeing the trees and things growing along the road.

In the passenger seat Robin remained silent. She was still far away in her head somewhere and not really paying attention to what was going on. Jason was concerned of course but he wasn't really worried yet. He wanted to know what she had remembered but reminded himself that he was not going to push her. She would reveal things as she was ready.

He left the radio off so he could hear her if she wanted to talk. Something inside his head told him she would be silent for most of the trip. She was getting her thoughts together and would talk when she had processed things. He didn't know how he knew that, he just did.

Robin turned to look at him when he took his right hand from the steering wheel and reached into his pocket. There was no reaction from her she just watched him until he pulled the cell phone from his pocket and then she returned to looking at the scenery along the road.

Transferring the phone into his left hand, Jason hit speed dial 1 and waited for Sonny to answer his phone.

"Where are you?" Sonny asked as he picked up. "I expected you at the office already."

"There has been a change of plans. I'm headed up to the cabin for the day."

Sonny was silent for a moment. He had never been to Jason's cabin in the woods but he had heard about it. It was the private place where Jason went to think and put things in perspective.

"Something happen?" Sonny asked his friend.

"Robin has never been and today seemed like the perfect time to show it to her."

Sonny nodded. It was starting to make more sense now. Robin must be ready to talk about something and Jason was taking her someplace quiet so they could be assured total privacy.

"Okay. I'll expect to see you sometime tomorrow then unless I hear differently." Sonny stated.

"I need you to arrange for one of the men to pick up Robin's car from Dutton's and drop it off at Mac's."

"Got it." Sonny replied. Now the sudden visit to the cabin made even more sense. Robin had been to the funeral home. He remembered how hard it had been on him when he had gone to see Lily and make the final arrangements for her funeral. He felt really bad for Robin and wished he could help somehow. "I will go and see Frank and take care of the funeral costs."

"I'm going to cover it. Bernie is taking a check over today."

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow." Jason confirmed and then hung up the phone.

Jason alternated between keeping his eyes on the road in front of him, checking the rear view mirror for tails, and looking over at Robin. They both remained silent for the majority of the drive. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence at all. Jason didn't mind the silence most of the time anyway and Robin had a lot of things on her mind at the moment.

The part that was bothering Jason was the lack of connection he was feeling with Robin at the moment. It was something he could never explain to anyone else and thus had never tried. It was just something he and Robin shared between them. While they had acknowledged the presence of the connection between them they had never really discussed it. They could sense each other's moods and tell when the other was there before they could see them. It was just something they accepted as a psychic connection and they each found it comforting in their own way. He didn't believe in esp. or telepathy or anything like that. It was all nonsense as far as he was concerned. What he and Robin had was a strong bond that had survived their breakups, relationships with other people, and time. Right now that bond was broken and Jason was concerned.

Jason slowed down considerably as he made the turn off the main road. The rest of the way was on narrow, bumpy, dirt roads. It was then that he felt the first flicker of the connection between him and Robin again. She was starting to come back from that place deep in her mind where she had been since he picked her up at Dutton's. He felt the muscles in his neck and shoulders and realized how tense he had been. He felt better now that she was coming back.

"We are almost there," Jason said out loud as he glanced over at Robin. "Just another 15 minutes to the cabin."

Jason settled down into the driver's seat a little more. He could feel himself start to relax and the muscles release some of the tension. It was a good feeling. There was no one else on the road with them and little danger of a serious problem the rest of the way so Jason took his right hand off the steering wheel and let his arm rest on the consul in between him and Robin.

A couple minutes later Jason felt Robin's hand come to rest lightly on top of his. He turned and smiled at her.

"Welcome back," he said simply. She nodded and patted his hand lightly. He spread his fingers open slightly and felt her lace her fingers in the open space. It was a simple and comforting gesture. It felt good.

"It is beautiful out here," Robin stated as she looked around.

"It is." Jason agreed quietly.

When they reached the top of the small hill Jason stopped the SUV for a moment. They both looked down into the wooded area below. Almost hidden from view was a single cabin. Robin looked all around and realized that it was the only cabin as far as the eye could see.

Jason watched Robin take in the scene in front of her. He loved the look of wonder on her face as she realized exactly how much privacy they really had out there. Once she had completed her look around she turned back to him and smiled. He nodded at her and put the SUV back in drive and they eased down the hill. A couple of minutes later Jason parked in front of the cabin.

"It's not a suite at the Metro Court," Jason cautioned as he unlocked the cabin door. He stepped aside so Robin could go in first.

"It's better." Robin announced as she looked the sparsely decorated living room. There was a comfortable looking couch and a couple of Lazy Boy chairs in front of the large fireplace. There was a bookcase with two of the four shelves filled with a wide assortment of books and some magazines. Most of the magazines seemed to be related to motorcycles. It was simple, not pretentious. She loved it immediately.

"The bedroom is upstairs in the loft area." Jason said as he watched her complete her mental tour of the cabin's layout. "The fireplace does a nice job of keeping the whole cabin warm and comfortable."

"I see you have a pool table. Does that mean you have beer in the refrigerator?"

Jason shrugged and nodded. He didn't watch TV when he was home and hadn't seen the need to have one out here. The pool table however had been a priority to him.

"It's perfect!" Robin said with a smile. "It's better than the Metro Court any day."

"Warmer than the boxcar was." Jason said with a laugh.

Robin nodded as she sat down on the couch. It was even more comfortable than it looked.

"I used to love that boxcar. We had a lot of good times there." Robin said as she let herself remember back to when Jason had been living in the box car after trashing his room and moving out of the Quartermaine mansion.

"Most girls wouldn't have liked it that much," Jason said with a smile. "They wouldn't have enjoyed my room over Jake's much better."

"I'm not most girls." Robin told him.

"That's an understatement," Jason replied. "I'm going to get some wood and start a fire."

Robin nodded. While Jason was outside getting the wood Robin went into the kitchen. She made some coffee for Jason and an herbal tea for herself. She knew he wanted to talk about what she had remembered about the night Patrick was murdered. He hadn't pushed the issue yet and she was thankful. He seemed content to let her get there in her own time.

Jason smiled as he came back inside the cabin. He loved the smell of freshly brewed coffee. He opened his mouth to say something to Robin about how she shouldn't have any coffee because of the caffeine but changed his mind. It wasn't his place to say anything. It was her body and she could decide how much, if any, caffeine she wanted to drink during her pregnancy.

A moment later Robin came into the living room and handed him a cup of coffee, black like he always drank it. She settled down on the couch with her cup of herbal tea. Once he had the fire going Jason sat down on the couch next to Robin. With a smile he noted that she had skipped the caffeine and was having herbal tea instead.

'It's time' Robin told herself firmly. She most definitely was not looking forward to this. Seeing Patrick laid out in the coffin had somehow unlocked the memories of the night that she had hidden away in her mind. Now as the memories swirled around her like a tornado, Robin was wishing she hadn't remembered.

_**Author's Note:**__** Be sure to write a review. I really enjoy hearing what you think about the story.**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's Note:**__** Sorry for the length between chapters! A lot has been going on for me, one thing after another it seems. Anyway, thanks for your patience. I am back and I do promise to continue working on this story until it is finished!!**_

Robin was feeling anxious. She couldn't explain what was going on but even in this spacious cabin she felt penned in. She could feel Jason's eyes on her, questioning. He was trying to read her and find out what she was feeling so he could respond appropriately. Even in her anxiety she had to be thankful for such a good friend to help her through this.

"I need to get out of here Jason!" Robin announced suddenly as she headed out the door.

Jason was caught off guard by her sudden bout of anxiety but recovered quickly and hurried out the door after her. He caught up to her easily since she wasn't running. She was walking fast and sure like she had a definite destination in mind.

"Where are you headed Robin?" Jason asked calmly.

"Away," Robin answered immediately as she headed away from the cabin and deeper into the woods.

Jason was glad that they had plenty of daylight left. It appeared to him that Robin was in serious distress and he was not going to be a stressor for her if he didn't have to be. He really wanted to allow her to take the lead and work out what she was feeling and share what she had remembered when she was ready. Based on events so far Jason figured this was going to take awhile. He was very glad they had plenty of sunlight yet.

"Okay but what are you getting away from?"

"I was feeling closed in and I couldn't breathe all the sudden. I am not prone to claustrophobia so I don't know what happened. I just had to get out of there. I need more open space."

"There is a small river with a bridge over it about three quarters of a mile northwest of here. Would you like to see it?"

"It sounds wonderful." Robin replied nodding.

Jason pointed the way. She had already been headed north on her charge to get away from the cabin so he only had to point her slightly west so that they were headed northwest toward the river.

Jason matched his pace with Robin's. He could go faster or slower as the situation needed, it really didn't matter to him how long it took them to reach the river. He began to notice that once she had a sure destination that was "away" as she had put it that her breathing had slowed and so had her pace. She was feeling calmer now and it was showing.

Robin really wished she hadn't remembered some of the things that she had from the night that Patrick had died. As Jason led the way toward the river he had told her about she realized that she was filled with anxiety and then tended to withdraw into herself whenever she got close to talking about it. There were still some blanks from that night, periods where she didn't know what had happened and she wondered if her anxiety was tied to those memories or not. Honestly she was afraid to find out and Robin Scorpio was not used to being afraid or at least was not used to letting it control her. She tended to confront her fears and face them head on. She was afraid of this and began cursing herself for being such a coward.

Suddenly she felt Jason pushing through her thoughts. She returned her focus to him and realized that they were both standing still. He was right in front of her with his hands cupping her face. It was then that she realized she was crying again.

"No" Robin stated spontaneously. Jason eyed her curiously but said nothing. She moved back slowly and he made no attempt to follow her. "I'm not ready yet. Just show me the river and talk about anything else."

"Okay." Jason nodded easily. "You set the pace Robin, I'll give you as much time and space as you need."

Robin stepped forward toward him again. He remained still and she slid her hand into his. He smiled at her and interlaced his fingers with hers and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I'm feeling kind of schizophrenic right now. Just bear with me."

"I understand Robin. I pushed more than I meant to by holding on to your face like that. I'm not trying to push you. Take your time."

"I'll get there." Robin stated in a confident voice. She said it with more confidence than she felt. Jason on the other hand held no doubt that she would indeed get to the right time to share her memories with him.

Jason nodded. Holding hands they started off toward the river once again. As they continued through the woods toward the river Robin found that holding Jason's hand served for more than emotional comfort; that it provided physical stability as well as the path got rocky in some areas.

"How are things going with your problem of the friend working against you?" Robin asked softly. She wanted to talk and to hear Jason's voice as well without delving into the memories of Patrick's murder.

"Resolved," Jason told her with a smile. "It looked like something it wasn't and when we talked I discovered that my friend wasn't working against me after all."

"I am so glad." Robin told him emotionally. "That kind of betrayal is hard to take."

Jason just nodded. Robin gave him an understanding smile. She knew how much he hated talking about himself or his emotions. He would talk to her, Sonny, or Carly about these areas more openly than he would with anyone else. However, he was a man of action and preferred to display his emotions through actions than actually sitting down and talking about them.

Robin felt Jason stop and she did too. She looked around to see if there was a problem. When she didn't see anything she looked at Jason and realized that he was listening but he did not seem alarmed. She relaxed again.

"If you listen you can hear the river from here," Jason told her. "It is just over that little rise ahead of you."

Robin listened to the sound of the water running. She could tell that it was a little river as Jason had said but she wanted to see it anyway. There was something calming to her about standing on a bridge and listening to the water. It was somehow life affirming and peaceful.

"Ready?" Jason asked

"Oh yes. I really want to see it." Robin told him immediately. She always managed to feel better when standing on a bridge and listening to the water running beneath her. She could hardly wait to get there.

Just as Jason had said they could see the river as soon as they reached the top of the slight hill. They headed down to the river without saying a word. Robin listened to the water flowing beneath her as she stood on the bridge. She enjoyed the feeling that always accompanied it; it was like a physical reminder that life marches on even when you think you can't. The water always continues running and it was a feeling she treasured deeply especially when she was hurting badly.

"Robin" Jason said quietly as he lightly touched her arm. As she looked up at him she felt the tears running down her face.

"The blood was everywhere Jason!" Robin screamed suddenly. She leaned against the railing and tried desperately to concentrate on the water and the view in front of her and to push all the blood from her mind.

"Okay. Don't push yourself; it will come when it is time." Jason said in as soothing a tone as he could. He wanted desperately to pull her into his arms and let her cry it out and tell her that he would take care of it. The truth of the matter was he didn't know what was going on and he would need every one of her memories to find out. One thing was certain though; he was not willing to lose Robin in the process. If it came to it, he was willing to let the murderer get away in order to avoid destroying Robin in the process.

"What the hell is the matter with me?" Robin demanded of Jason a moment later.

"You are the doctor here Robin," Jason said with a smile. He remained close to her but did not touch her. He wasn't sure right now if she wanted him to or not and decided to leave it up to her. "My guess though is that you are in shock."

"I was in shock the night it happened. I should be better by now." Robin said as she paced back in forth across the width of the narrow bridge.

"Let's go put our feet in the water," Jason said suddenly. Robin looked at him like he was the crazy one for a moment. When he reached his hand out for her to take, she realized that he was serious. She took his hand and they crossed the bridge.

Jason led Robin down a small pathway toward the water. Just before they reached the edge of the river she saw a bench that was anchored to the heavy tree behind it. She and Jason sat on the bench and removed their shoes and socks. Jason stood up and offered his hand to Robin. She just looked at him for a minute and he sat down right next to her.

"Robin, I am not a specialist or anything but I am betting that the trip to the funeral home this morning set off another case of shock for you. The memories coming back like that is hard on your mind and your body. You are dealing with a lot right now."

"There is a lot that has to be taken care of Jason and I need to do it."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? Because it is my responsibility, that is why. Patrick was my husband and it falls to me to give him a proper burial, assist the police in catching his murderer, and to raise this child that we created."

"You don't have to do it alone. Look, I understand that you have a hard time asking for help, we are a lot alike that way. However, letting someone help you is not a sign of weakness. Sometimes it is the only reasonable thing to do."

Robin nodded slightly without looking at Jason. He decided to continue in case some of it was getting through to her. "When a patient needs surgery do you do everything yourself?"

"Of course not," Robin replied immediately. "We have a whole surgical team that all work together for the good of the patient."

"Well then my dear, I would suggest you put together a surgical team and let them handle the operation. The only thing you should have to do is show up and take care of yourself and that precious baby. Leave the details to everyone else."

"I can't do that."

Jason stood up and held out his hand to Robin once again. This time she took it and they walked a few steps to the edge of the river.

"You can do anything in the world Robin. I've seen you come through a lot before and I know you can do it. Your parents are coming in tomorrow right?"

Robin nodded as she dipped a toe into the river. She pulled back quickly because of the extreme cold. She had expected it to be cold but this was worse than she imagined.

"Let them lead the operating team for you then. They will want to do something that can be of some real help to you and I think that would be perfect!"

"Okay," Robin stated thoughtfully. "There is a condition."

"What?"

"We go back to the cabin without walking around in that freezing water!"

"Deal," Jason told her with a smile and they returned to the bench to put on their shoes and socks.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thank you for reading. Please be sure to leave a review. I really like to hear your honest feeling about the story. Thanks!**_


	18. Chapter 18

Once again Jason let Robin set the pace as they walked back toward the cabin. It was clear that she was in no particular hurry to get there since she was walking pretty slowly. This time however, Robin was taking in the scenery around her that she had missed on the way to the river.

"What are the red flags for?" Robin asked Jason once she noticed that several of the trees were tagged.

"That signals the end of my property line and the beginning of the neighbors." Jason answered

"So we were trespassing when we went to the river?" Robin asked with disappointment. She was hoping to go there again sometime but certainly didn't want to intrude on anyone's property to do so.

"No," Jason assured her with a smile. "I met the owner and she rarely uses the place herself. She usually lets her daughter come up with her two girls once every month or so. She said that I can come down to the river anytime I feel like it."

"That was very nice of her." Robin noted.

"I anchored the bench to the tree for her the last time I was up here so her granddaughters would have a place to take off their shoes and socks to wade into the water."

Robin nodded. That was Jason's version of a thank you. He preferred to put actions to his feeling than to discuss them. Robin has become used to it many years ago when they were dating. He would talk with her about anything she wanted but it was his preference to show it rather than talk about it. His actions were usually very expressive so Robin had never really minded much.

"Why did you want to wade into that freezing water?" Robin asked suddenly.

"I didn't really want to particularly." Jason stated simply. Robin knew he would not explain further unless prompted. It was one of the big differences between them that they had come to understand and accept. Robin would forge ahead and explain her view and want you to agree with her while Jason would not explain himself and really didn't care if you agreed with him or not.

"Then why did you suggest it?" Robin asked

"Because I figured you would not want to do it. I was hopeful that you would say you didn't want to and then we could change our plans."

"I don't understand," Robin told him simply. She stopped walking and just looked at Jason as if she were trying to gain understanding by reading his face. Of course, it did not come to her since Jason tended to keep his face unreadable most of the time.

"I wanted you to feel in control of something in your life, even if it was something little." Jason replied. He seemed almost embarrassed to be admitting this to her which was strange since he was very seldom self conscious around her.

"Very few people would have realized I needed the control right now and even fewer would have done anything about it." Robin told him as she continued to look intently into Jason's eyes. "You have a rare sense of intuition or ability to read people, Jason. It is a gift and you seem almost embarrassed to use it."

"Not really embarrassed Robin. I just find it hard to talk about. I don't know how or why I know some of the things I know, I just do and I try to use it. I do think you give me too much credit on a lot of things. We have known each other for years. You were the first one I saw when I woke up from that coma, so basically I've known you my whole life. You learn things about people you spend a lot of time with."

"True, but you are better at it than most people. A lot of other people are focused on themselves and don't take the time to read between the lines much less take the initiative to do something to make the other person feel better."

Jason just shrugged. Robin smiled and nodded. She had known he would, it was how he was. He was uncomfortable about accepting praise or kind words. If the other person was comforted or helped than he figured it would show and there was little need for discussion about how or why.

Robin started walking toward the cabin again and Jason matched her pace easily. It took more time to return from the river than it had taken to get there. Robin knew that it was afternoon now. She didn't know what time it was but she was certain that it was time for her HIV medications. The problem was that they were in her overnight bag which was in her car. She was always conscientious about staying to her dosing schedule and knew that she would have to ask Jason to take her back pretty soon so she could get them. She really wished that they could stay there for awhile longer. However, she knew that life seldom gave you what you wanted.

"Your forehead is wrinkled Robin. What are you thinking so intently about?"

"I was wishing we could stay out here for awhile longer. I am ready to talk a little, not much yet but some, about the night that Patrick died. However, I don't have my HIV medications with me and I know I am overdue for a dose."

"If I got you your meds would you like to stay the night out here?"

"I would really love that. I would have to call Uncle Mac and tell him I won't be home tonight and…It wouldn't be fair for you to have someone drive all the way out here with my med's. Maybe later we can plan ahead and then stay over."

Jason gave her a genuine smile but still managed to look like the cat that had just swallowed the canary. Robin was intrigued by this.

She put her hands on her hips and playfully demanded, "Jason Morgan what have you got up your sleeve?"

"That is not the correct question Dr. Scorpio. I have nothing up my sleeve except my arm."

Robin nodded and thought for a moment. "Okay, what would be the correct question?"

"Something along the lines of what surprises do I have tucked away in the back of the SUV."

"Okay, what surprises do you have in your SUV?"

"I have a fully stocked "go bag" for you, including your HIV meds." Jason told her simply.

Robin was curious about how he got everything she needed but decided not to worry about it right now. Jason knew how to get things and at the moment Robin was glad and decided not to question it.

"You are planning ahead now?" Robin asked instead.

"I packed it for you while you were in the hospital in case we had to get you into a secure location quickly. I wasn't planning it for the cabin or anything. I just wanted to be sure we could get you out of the city or the country quickly if it came down to it."

Robin nodded. Jason was good at this sort of thing and she wasn't. She set a slightly faster pace now as she headed toward the SUV. When they reached the vehicle she surprised Jason by sitting on the bumper instead of opening the door and checking out her bag. He sat down next to her and waited for her to make the next move.

"We left the hospital a little after 9pm that night." She said quietly. "We picked up take-out from Oliver's and got home about 10:30. Everything was normal at the house."

"Did you see any cars parked out front of your house or anything that seemed out of the normal for the neighborhood?"

"Patrick commented about a guy walking his dog. He said he was practically dragging the dog along. That was it. There were no cars in front of the house."

"Did he say which neighbor was walking the dog?"

"No, actually he commented that he didn't recognize the guy. We know almost everyone on both sides of the block now."

"Is it unusual to see someone on your block that you don't know?"

"A little I guess but it does happen sometimes. We don't usually see people out that late that we don't know. I think most people tend to stay close to their homes when it is dark like that. He must live only a block or two away."

"What did he look like?" Jason asked automatically. He was watching Robin. She was starting to breathe faster now and had gotten up from the bumper and was pacing back in forth in a small area in front of him. She was beginning to resemble a caged animal. More accurately she looked like a caged animal that was ready to strike. He needed to find a way to bring down her anxiety level somehow.

"I don't know. I didn't look at him because I was opening the door to the house since Patrick was carrying our dinner."

Jason eased himself off the bumper and approached Robin. He stepped into the path that she had been pacing back and forth in but he did not touch her. He just looked at her for a minute. She came to a stop just before running into him.

"What?" She demanded almost angrily.

"I'm trying to get a sense of what you need right now. All I can sense from you is some confusion and a lot of anxiety."

"Then stop trying to push me into talking about this. Just leave me alone and stop trying to handle me!" Robin snapped as she turned and headed away from Jason and into the cabin.

Jason watched her until she disappeared inside. He heard the door slam and almost smiled. He saw the anger and slamming doors as an improvement to her withdrawing inside her head and shutting him out completely. This was more like the Robin he was used to and was glad she was still in there somewhere.

Jason grabbed his phone from his pocket and called Sam. He explained what information he had gotten from Robin and asked her to start checking on it for him.

"That isn't much to go on." Sam stated

"I know. Do the best you can with it."

"We are going to need a lot more than that to find out what happened."

"She's in a serious state of shock Sam. I can't afford to press her anymore. I don't want to hurt her or the baby."

Sam promised to do what she could with the information at hand and fill Jason in when he returned. He thanked her and put his phone away. He hated having more questions than answers right now.

Jason took a moment to mentally switch gears before heading to the cabin. Robin needed a friend, not an interrogator. His priority was Robin and her baby. Catching a killer, or anything else for that matter, would always be secondary to him. She was his overriding concern. Then he grabbed the bags from the back of the SUV and headed toward the cabin.

_**Author's Note:**__** Your review would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**Author's Note:**__** Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter done. I will try to do better at publishing a chapter at regular intervals. Either way, I will complete the story. Your patience has been appreciated. Your reviews are definitely encouraged!**_

Jason heard Robin talking as he slipped both their bags into one hand so he could open the cabin door. She looked up at him as he walked in. Jason could feel the lightened mood immediately and her smile confirmed it.

"Uncle Mac, I will check into it. However, I can guarantee you that it didn't happen that way." Robin said as she continued walking around the cabin while talking on her phone.

Jason took the opportunity to take Robin's bag up to the bedroom loft. Robin was just hanging up the phone when he came down the stairs. She watched him silently as he placed his bag in the corner of the room near the couch.

"Jason," she said softly as she lightly touched his arm. He turned to face her and she immediately put her arms around his neck. "I am so sorry for yelling at you outside. You have been wonderful to me and I was just awful."

Jason wrapped his arms around her tightly and they stood there quietly for a couple of minutes. He wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling at the moment but it felt nice and he wanted to enjoy it.

"I don't get my feeling hurt that easily Robin. It didn't bother me at all. In fact, I have always enjoyed your fire."

"You want to hear something funny?" Robin asked with a small laugh. Jason enjoyed hearing her laugh. It seemed like such a long time since she laughed and been happy.

"Sure," he answered with his arms still wrapped tightly around her. Neither one of them seemed willing to break the physical connection yet.

"Uncle Mac thinks you are sleeping with Maxie," Robin told him with a laugh.

Jason was shocked to his core. He stepped back suddenly from Robin and stared at her with his mouth wide open. He didn't know what to say to that.

"I know it isn't true and I told him that," Robin told him with a smile. "I told him I would ask you about it but I know that things didn't happen the way he thinks they did."

Jason continued to stare at Robin for another minute before regaining his composure. He immediately replaced the look of shock with his usual unreadable expression. Jason was horrified at the suggestion and Robin clearly thought it was funny.

"Why on earth would he think that?" Jason asked suddenly. "She is with Spinelli. Neither of us would ever do that to him!"

"I know that," Robin told him with a smile. "He said something about Maxie telling you she tried to sneak out of your room this morning before you woke up. There was also something else about needing a shower after 'last night's activities' and he is freaking out."

"I get it," Jason said with a shake of his head. He took Robin's hand in his and let her over to the couch. "That friend I thought may be working against me was Sam. I was in the position of having to compel the answers I needed from her."

Jason watched Robin's face. He was surprised when there was no change. She did not express distaste for the violence in his life or ask if he had hurt Sam. This was curious.

"You aren't going to ask?" Jason asked quietly.

"Ask what?"

"If I hurt her." He answered in a near whisper.

"I don't have many illusions about you anymore," Robin told him as she looked at him intently. "I know what you do for a living and why you do it. Most of it is distasteful and I will never like it Jason. Never. However, I can separate the actions from the person. You kill people and I know that. To me you will never be a killer and that is the way it is. I know that you did not hurt Sam. You live in a violent world and you are among the best at what you do but you have your own set of rules you live by. You don't hurt women and that is that!"

"I pulled a gun on her, tied her up in her own apartment, and made her believe I was about to kill her with her own kitchen knife." Jason stated simply.

"Fear is an effective technique." Robin said as she nodded. "That is the business you are in. Let me ask you, if you hadn't threatened her and got the answers you needed, what would have happened?"

Jason looked at Robin sharply. She never asked about business. She hated almost everything about it and wanted to be kept away from it. It worked well for them since Jason didn't want his business touching her either.

"Robin," Jason began. Robin cut him off by placing her hand gently over his mouth.

"I know you won't answer that and it is okay. I already know. You forget my stepfather was in this business so I know how it works. If you had not gotten the answers from Sam that way, Sonny would have had someone else 'ask' her and she would have definitely gotten hurt in the process."

Jason just nodded. There wasn't really anything he could say to that because she was entirely correct. Sometimes he did forget just how much she knew about life in the mob. He wanted to believe that he had shielded her from much of it but the truth was that he could never really protect her from mob violence. It seemed to permeate her life. When she was a small child she grew up with a stepfather as a mobster, as a teenager she became friends with Sonny, and then Jason went to work for Sonny about the time he and Robin had begun dating. She was barely a young woman then. Even though they had been apart for many years they had maintained a close friendship. She never really walked away as completely as either of them thought she had.

"Anyway, Sam is a tough woman. She can take out a lot of men I know who are pretty good. Despite that, I was able to subdue and control her easily. Had I honestly wanted to, I could have raped and killed her easily."

"That isn't who you are." Robin told him with a smile.

"That isn't the point, I could have and it really bothered me. It was bothering me when I went home and found Maxie and Spinelli talking about a woman who was raped outside the Metro Court the other day."

Robin remained silent. She knew Jason was heading somewhere but she didn't know where yet. He would tell her in his own way and time.

"It was easy Robin. Sam is no pushover by any means but with a small amount of preparation I was able to overpower her. It shouldn't be that easy to overpower and attack a woman like that."

Robin continued to watch Jason silently. He was clearly bothered about his 'attack' on Sam. She was also curious how this related to Mac's unfounded fears that Jason and Maxie were sleeping together.

"If anything happened to Maxie it would devastate Spinelli. So, I had Spinelli try to attack Maxie and I showed her some ways to temporarily disable her attacker so she could escape. Apparently I pushed them both very hard last night. When we finished they took a shower and went to bed."

"That was very sweet of you to do that. I know that Maxie isn't your favorite person and I think it was wonderful of you to look after her like that."

"She made a lot of points with me by how good she is to Spinelli." Jason shrugged. "She is under mine and Sonny's protection."

"But why was she in your shower this morning?"

"They broke the shower head in the other bathroom last night. She wanted another shower this morning so she decided to invade my room." Jason came back to sit on the couch next to Robin. "She and Mac seem to have this crazy dance they do about her sex life. I just wish Mac would leave me out of it."

Robin was silent and her expression barely changed. It didn't matter though, Jason felt the darkness descend over Robin like incoming flood waters. The suddenness of it startled him.

"Leave Dr. Scorpio out of it" Robin whispered through the lump in her throat.

"What does that mean Robin?" Jason asked as he put his hand lightly over hers. He expected her to jump up and run out of the cabin again but she didn't. She was withdrawing into herself again and he wasn't entirely sure she even felt his hand on hers.

"The front door was kicked in. A moment later the back door was kicked in and I turned to look. Then I heard Patrick yelling and I turned to run into the living room. Someone grabbed me and I was about to kick him in the balls when I heard the gunshot from the living room."

"What happened next?" Jason asked as he lightly stroked his hand over Robin's. He still couldn't be sure if she was feeling it but he wanted to provide the emotional support if she did.

"The guy behind me said 'our orders are to leave Dr. Scorpio out of it.' I tried to go through the guy in front of me to get to Patrick. However, he was too strong and then the guy behind me grabbed me too."

"There were two of them in the kitchen with you?" Jason asked intently.

Robin nodded silently. The tears were running steadily down her face now and she made no attempt to wipe them away.

"If Patrick was shot in the living room while you were fighting two guys in the kitchen that means there were three intruders in your home that night." Jason said as he continued lightly stroking Robin's hand. "Do you remember what any of them looked like?"

"No. I see them in my nightmares but I can't remember when I'm awake." Robin whispered. Even though he was sitting right next to her, Jason barely heard Robin's reply.

"You did good Robin," Jason told her as he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her again. "You did real good. The rest will come out when it is time. You did good today."

Robin allowed herself to melt into Jason's arms completely. She didn't want to think anymore. She just wanted the pain to stop. She cried quietly in Jason's arms for a long time. Neither of them knew how long it was. It didn't really matter. He held her until she stopped crying.

While she washed her face and took her medicines and stuff, Jason managed to find something to fix for dinner. Robin didn't even notice what she ate or how it tasted.

Jason was starting to worry again. She hadn't said a word in a couple of hours now. She had been silent during dinner and now as they sat on the couch she was still silent. Jason was reading a magazine on motorcycles. Robin hadn't even opened her medical journal. She was just staring into the fireplace.

"It's going to be okay, Robin. I promise." Jason told her soothingly as he hugged her close to him again. "You are a strong, amazing woman who can do anything she chooses. You will get through this but you don't have to do it alone."

Robin merely nodded. She was resting her head on his chest just above his heart. It's steady beat was comforting to her and she took peace from it until she drifted off to sleep. She was not aware of when Jason had carried her up to the loft and put her into bed. She hadn't heard him go back downstairs and sleep on the couch. She did know that he was close by if she needed him and that allowed her to sleep more comfortably.

_**Author's Note:**__** I hope you are continuing to enjoy this story. Please be sure to write a review!**_


	20. Chapter 20

The following morning Robin felt a little sad as Jason took their bags to the SUV and she took one last look around the cabin to make sure they had everything they needed. She wanted to stay there and enjoy walks to the river and nights by the fire. She did not want to go home and face the real world and the loss of her husband and the fact that his killers were still out there. Things were simple here or at least it felt that way to her.

"Are you ready?" Jason asked from the doorway.

"I suppose so," Robin answered with a forced smile.

Jason immediately crossed the room and put his arms around Robin. She leaned her head on his chest and wrapped her arms just as tightly around his waist.

"It's going to be okay," Jason assured her quietly.

"I hear that a lot lately." Robin said with her head still on Jason's chest, taking comfort from the steady beat of his heart. "The funny thing is I believe it when you say it."

"A lot of people say that when they don't know what else to say." Jason gently pulled back and tilted Robin's chin up so that she was looking in the eyes. "I am saying it because I believe it. I won't lie and tell you it will be easy or anything like that. However, I know with absolute certainly that you will be okay. You are one of the strongest people I've ever met in my life."

"I don't feel very strong right now." Robin told him honestly.

Jason smiled and wrapped his arms around her tightly again. "It is buried under grief but you have it in you and it will come out again. You don't know how to give up, even when you want to."

"Well, seeing as you have never lied to me I guess I will have to take your word for it." Robin stated somewhat more confidently.

The drive back to Port Charles was uneventful. Jason kept an eye out for a tail or any signs of a problem and was glad that none appeared. It left him free to focus more on Robin and to talk about happier times and things they had in common. It was a comfortable trip back and it was over before they even realized it.

"I can't believe we are back already," Robin said as they pulled up at Mac's.

"You want me to walk you in?" Jason asked hesitantly. He decided to leave it up to her since she knew best how her family would react to his presence.

"No, I am fine." Robin told him as she leaned across the seat and kissed him on the check. "Jason, thank you so much!"

"For what," Jason asked sincerely. "I didn't do anything..."

They both laughed. They always ended up here when she tried to thank him for something. He always would say he didn't do anything. It was nice to have light moment to end the trip on.

"You always say that. It's never true." She told him as got out of the SUV and watched him drive away.

Robin felt the eyes of her family on her before she even turned around and knew they had watched Jason drop her off. 'I love my family' she reminded herself as she took a deep breath and headed inside. The truth was she really did love her family but they could tend to be overwhelming at times too. However, she hadn't seen her parents in awhile and was looking forward to spending some time with them. She just hoped they were getting along during this trip.

Jason felt weird leaving Robin at Mac's. It was like de-ja-vu or something because he could remember dropping her off at Mac's many years ago when they were dating. The difference was this time her parents were watching through the windows for her return instead of her Uncle Mac. It felt kind of strange.

Returning his mind to work, Jason looked for the bodyguards watching the house as he pulled away. He spotted them instantly and pointed at them as he went by. They understood immediately that they were responsible for Robin now. They promptly signaled with thumbs up to let the boss know they understood. Jason felt better leaving her there with the guards watching her. He knew her parents were there and the stories of Robert Scorpio and Anna DeVane were legends in Port Charles. He did not doubt for a minute they could protect her. For some reason though, he still felt the need to leave the guards. 'How long will it take Robin to spot them?' Jason wondered with a smile as he headed toward the office.

Sonny barely looked up from the desk as Jason came in and hung up his leather jacket on the coat rack. Taking a seat in of the office chairs, Jason could tell immediately that he was not very happy. Sonny was unhappy and that generally translated into work for Jason. He waited silently, knowing that Sonny would let him know what the problem was and what he wanted done.

"Carly is being stupid again," Sonny growled a moment later.

Inwardly, Jason groaned. Carly was Sonny's ex-wife and the mother of his two boys but she was headstrong and difficult on a good day. Jason was the only one who could get through to her when she had decided on a course of action. Sonny and Carly loved each dearly and unfortunately they also brought out the worst in each other on a regular basis. So, it normally fell to Jason to intervene between the two. Sometimes he had to make Carly see the wisdom of Sonny's decision and just as often he had to back Sonny down from a decision because it wasn't reasonable or workable. It was a very good thing that he loved both of them because they always put him in the middle of their disputes.

"What is going on?" Jason asked solemnly.

"She has been slipping her guards again. This morning she did it when she and Morgan were shopping." Sonny stood up suddenly shoving his chair out of his way. It crashed loudly into the wall. "I don't want her teaching the boys how to slip their guards!"

"Did you talk to her about it?" Jason asked.

"I don't have time to deal with stupid tricks right now," Sonny growled again. "She listens to you, make her see reason."

"I'll talk to her," Jason assured his friend and boss as he stood up. He really felt that Sonny and Carly should be talking to each other about this and finding a workable solution. However, he knew from years of personal experience that it would never happen. Jason would be the one they each went to for help with the other. For the most part, Jason did not really like being in the middle of their disputes. However, he knew that he was needed to keep the peace and limit the effects on Michael and Morgan. His was usually the voice of reason between their tempers and desperate attempts to control the situation.

"Whatever works, just make her listen!" Sonny announced as he pulled the chair back to the desk and said down again. "How are you going to convince her to be reasonable?"

"Some tough love, I think." Jason answered as he opened the door to leave.

"Meaning what?" Sonny asked curiously. He was obviously calmer now. He knew once he gave an assignment to Jason he would pretty much consider it done.

"Don't ask," Jason said shaking his head. "For one thing I don't know yet. For the other, I want you to have deniability in whatever I do. That way when she gets angry it has to be at me because you didn't know anything about it!"

Without saying another word Jason pulled the door shut and left the coffee house. He needed to think. Carly slipping her guards was a very big deal and Sonny had a right to be upset, especially since she had one of the kids with her. However, knowing Carly there was a reason she did that. To her it would seem like a compelling reason and that somehow it was justified. He had to find a way to let her know how much she is risking.

It was time to clear his mind and think for awhile so he headed down to the waterfront. First he went by the parking garage in his building and parked the SUV. He wanted to ride his bike to the docks. He liked to go there to think. For some reason things seemed to become clearer near water. He had gotten some of his best ideas while thinking about things on the docks. He hoped that would be the case now as well. He needed a good idea on how to deal with the issue of Carly and the guards.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for reading. Your opinions are valued. Please post a review and let me know what you think.**_


	21. Chapter 21

Jason had come to a decision on how to best deal with the issue of Carly slipping away from her guards again. It would be an unpleasant thing for him to do so it seemed best to him to go ahead and get it over with. Reluctantly, Jason turned away from the water and headed back to his bike. He normally enjoyed the drive toward the edge of town and Carly and Jax's new house but today his thoughts were filled with the unpleasant task at hand.

Jason walked in the door of Carly's without knocking. He made a point of slamming the door loudly. This was going to be a case of tough love, very tough love. He was used to her trying to manipulate him but she would not be expecting him to turn the tables on her. It was his fervent hope that they would only have to do this once.

"Carly, get down here!" Jason yelled as loud as he could. A moment later she appeared at the top of the stairs, a worried look crossing her face.

"Jason, are you alright? What happened?"

"You know exactly what happened. You are slipping away from your guards again and this time you did it while you had Morgan with you."

Carly hurried down the stairs and rushed to Jason. She put her hands on his arms and gave him her award winning smile. "There was a really good reason. Just let me explain to you…"

"Shut up!" Jason yelled at her. She took a step back in absolute shock that he was yelling at her and that he actually told her to shut up. She could not have been more stunned if he had actually hit her. Jason took that moment of shock to make sure he maintained control of this situation. "I have risked my life, my freedom, and given up women in my life for YOU! You and your boys have meant more to me than my own happiness. I do not care if you want to argue with Sonny or disobey him or totally disrespect him, Carly. That is between the two of you. But you have disrespected me for the last time!"

"Jason, please," Carly gasped. "I love you and I do respect you!"

"A couple of hours ago I was at my cabin and had my arms wrapped tightly around a beautiful woman and I come back here and find that you are up to your games again. When you risk yourself and those precious boys you are telling me that everything I have sacrificed to keep you safe meant nothing to you!" Jason shook free of Carly's grip on his arms and stormed toward the front door. "I am done. I quit you and I quit Sonny! You go tell him that I quit and that it was because of you and your stupid antics. I'm going to go by the penthouse and pick up a few things and then find that beautiful woman again and ask her to go back to the cabin with me!"

His tirade finished, Jason simply turned and walked out the front door of Carly's house and got on his bike. He didn't even bother to shut the door on his way out so she watched him drive off with tears running down her face.

Once Jason was certain that he was out Carly's line-of-sight, even if she ran down the driveway to watch him leave, he pulled over. He hated the confrontation with Carly and he felt awful about yelling at her. What he wanted to do was rush back to her and make her feel better and apologize for yelling at her but that would undo everything that was trying to do. It was extremely important that she remember that the guards were not there to restrict her movements. The whole purpose of him and Sonny keeping her guarded was to keep her and the kids safe. If yelling at her and threatening to quit serve to help her keep that in sight than it was worth any sacrifice.

Jason pulled out his phone and called Sam and Johnny and told them to pick up some boxes and head to his apartment. It was important to the last part of his plan. Sonny and Carly were fairly predictable in their actions and he was confident that they would remain true to form and show up at his penthouse together.

The moment Jason got off the elevator he saw Sam and Johnny leaning against the wall near his penthouse door. They had brought a lot of boxes with them.

"What's up?" Sam asked as Jason approached his door. It was good that he could count on both of them to do what they were asked to. Sometimes Sam would question things and that bothered Sonny. It didn't bother Jason most of the time. Today, however, he was hoping they would simply do what they were told.

"You guys are going to help me pack up some stuff and load the SUV so I can go back to the cabin." Jason announced as he tossed his keys on the desk.

Jason grabbed a box and handed it to Johnny and pointed toward the kitchen. "I need non-perishable food for my cabin. Stack the boxes next to the front door and when we have a bunch of them done we will load them in my SUV."

"Why?" John asked suddenly.

Jason was in a bad mood after having yelled at Carly like he had and he took a menacing step toward Johnny. Johnny watched the enforcer approach him with his fist clenched. To be perfectly honest he was afraid but he refused to show it. He stood his ground having resolved not to back up or flinch as Jason approached him.

"Because I am still your boss and you will do what the hell you are told to do!" Jason told him angrily.

"I am not disputing that, Jason." Johnny said calmly. "I was just trying to get a little more information so I can give you exactly what you want. If you were taking Robin to the cabin while you figured out a way to get her out of town I would make sure to pack food that is quick and easy to make. If this was a pleasure trip than I can pack a variety of ingredients and coordinated spices so you can come up with your own meal ideas."

Sam remained silent and continued to watch the two men talking. Now, however, Jason had a very strange expression on his face as he looked at Johnny. If she absolutely had to describe Jason's expression right then she would have said that he was looking at Johnny Zacchara like he had just announced he was coming out of the closet.

"Um, yeah. Well it is business and pleasure trip so pack a lot of both types of food." Jason shrugged as he continued to stare at Johnny like he was just laying eyes on him for the first time.

"I think I'm spending too much time in the kitchen with Olivia," Johnny mumbled as he headed to the kitchen to pack the food as requested.

Jason directed Sam upstairs to the hallway closet to get essentials such as toilet paper, blankets, and whatever else she could find. With the other two working hard Jason took a moment to take stock. He was putting on a convincing show and that would be essential. If all was going according to plan than Carly would already have arrived at Sonny's in tears saying that Jason had left her and was leaving Sonny as well. Then they would decide to double team him as it were and head over to his penthouse together. The scene had to appear very authentic and exactly like he really was leaving as he had told Carly. Sonny was good at analyzing a scene and immediately deciding if it was real or a set up. Jason wasn't used to trying to fool Sonny but this time he really needed to. He needed to shake both of them to their core and get them focused on other their responsibilities to each other and their kids.

It was getting close to time for the show. He had left Carly's over an hour ago. She could have made it to Sonny's house in less than 15 minutes. It would have taken her a few minutes to stop crying and tell Sonny what the problem was. A few minutes later Sonny would have had his bodyguard get the limo so they could begin the 20 minute drive to his penthouse.

"You know," Johnny commented as he exited the kitchen with another fully loaded box and set by the door with the others. "I signed on to the organization to be a guy of action. I am not interested in being your butler or something. I want more responsibility."

Jason's back was to the partially opened penthouse door but he still heard the elevator stop. It was time. He listened as Carly and Sonny walked in the door but pretended like he had not heard them enter.

"You can always go by and talk to Sonny later. My job just opened up."

"What?" Sam and Johnny both asked at the same time.

Jason shrugged at them. "I decided I was done and so I quit today."

"Jason," Sonny said as he cleared his throat. Jason turned to look at Sonny and Carly. Those two people had been the main focus of his life for over 15 years now. There was so much history between the three of them.

Sonny was his boss but he was so much more than that. When he first started working for Sonny he had so much to learn and Sonny had taught him the business. Back then he was like a father to him. Now they were on nearly equal footing. They were like brothers now. On paper, Jason and Sonny were business partners. Anyone who knew the mob understood that Sonny Corinthos was in charge and Jason Morgan was his extremely loyal enforcer. They worked so well together.

Carly was… How could he begin to explain Carly? She was his friend and so much more. He loved her and her kids and they had been through so much together. Jason tended to be Carly's rescuer. Whenever she would put one of her crazy plans into motion and it went horribly wrong he would be there to get her out. She loved him and counted on him and was fiercely protective of him. He had risked his life, his freedom, his happiness for Sonny, Carly, and their kids on many occasions. He loved them and he knew they loved him. That wasn't the problem. The problem was they wanted him to take care of things that they as parents should be working on together.

"Jason," Sonny began again. His voice thick with emotion that he wished he could cover up. "We should talk privately."

Jason nodded and turned toward Sam and Johnny. "You two go get something to eat. Be back in an hour."

While they were grabbing their coats and heading out the door, Sam turned to Johnny. "I'll buy dinner if you'll explain about coordinating spices."

Johnny gave her a mock glare and then shrugged. "I am dating a full blooded Italian woman. We spend a lot of time in the kitchen and I have learned more about spices than I ever wanted to know."

Laughing, the duo departed the penthouse and closed the door behind them. It is a big contrast to the group they left behind. Inside the penthouse was the very somber trio of Jason, Sonny, and Carly.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for reading. I sure hope you are continuing to enjoy the story. The action will be picking up soon as there is lots more to this. Please be sure to review!**_


	22. Chapter 22

Jason motioned his hand toward the couch. Sonny and Carly nodded and sat down next to each other on the couch. They watched in surprise as Jason disappeared into the kitchen without a word. He reappeared moments later with three cold beers.

Carly wiped a single tear from her face and then reached for the beer Jason held out. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Without a word he handed a beer to Sonny and sat down in the chair across from them.

"You can't quit Jason," Sonny said softly. "We need you."

"We love you," Carly chimed in with a quivering smile.

"I love you both too. It isn't about loving you. It is about all of us working together for a common goal. When one of you quit doing your part it makes doing my job impossible. In this instance you both quit at the same time and both of you expected me to pick up the slack."

Jason took a long pull from his beer and set it on the table in front of him. He turned the full intensity of his gaze directly on Sonny.

"You told me once that I needed to be careful who I dated. Do you remember?" Jason paused and watched his friend give an affirmative nod. "You told me that a real man is not only responsible for any children that he created but that he was equally responsible to the child's mother for the rest of his life."

Sonny nodded his head again while trying to form his words. Jason could tell that Sonny had gotten the point he was trying to make.

"You're right, of course. I did tell you I was too busy to deal with Carly or this situation and when it involves any of my children or their mothers I can never be too busy." Sonny paused for a moment before adding, "I love my kids."

"I know," Jason confirmed. "I have never doubted that. That's why I was willing to let you adopt Michael. When I see you with him I know I made the right choice."

The moment Jason's intense gaze fell on Carly she began nodding. Once again a single tear slid down her face. Jason watched as Sonny leaned over and wiped it from her cheek before grabbing on to her hand for moral support.

"You slipped your guards, again. It has to stop immediately. The guards do not restrict your movements. They are there for the single purpose of keeping you and your kids' safe," Jason paused and continued his full stare into Carly's eyes. If it were possible, the intensity of Jason's stare would have written his words directly into her brain. "I love you and your kids dearly. I have risked everything for each of you and not because it is my job. It is my purpose and I am willing to die for any of you. When you put their lives at risk like that it feels like you are saying 'Jason will fix it or die trying so what do I care' and I ca…"

"Jason, I have never said or felt anything like that. I know the risks you take and I couldn't stand it if anything ever happened to you. It would be even worse if it was my fault. I promise I will be more careful."

Carly got up from the couch and walked around the coffee table toward Jason. He got up from his chair about the time she reached him. She laid her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. A minute later Sonny got up from the couch and put an arm around his best friend and one around his ex-wife and smiled broadly. He knew Jason was staying and it gave him peace.

"Okay," Jason said with a genuine smile.

"Do you forgive me?" Carly asked quietly with her head still buried in Jason's chest. She hated asking for forgivingness and very rarely did. Jason was about the only one she would ask. "Will you stay?"

"Yes to both your questions." Jason answered.

Just as Sonny and Carly were about to leave the penthouse there was a knock on the door. Jason knew that Sonny had his bodyguards with him so he didn't move.

"Yeah?" he asked loudly.

"Johnny and Sam are here," Max announced with the door open just a crack. Jason nodded so he opened the door all the way and allowed duo to enter the penthouse.

"The enforcer position is no longer open," Sonny told Johnny firmly. He did not like or trust Johnny Zacchara and enjoyed bringing him down a peg or two every so often. He wanted him gone and had given Jason the order to take him out. Jason had refused the order saying that he owed Johnny for saving Spinelli's life. He took full responsibility for the "mob prince" as Spinelli referred to him.

Johnny shrugged. Truth was he was glad that Jason was staying. He and Jason respected each other and worked well together. Plus, Jason kept Sonny off his back most of the time. Johnny wasn't afraid to mix it up with Sonny but he recognized the fact that he would be dead regardless of whether he won or lost. If he lost the fight, Sonny would kill him without a second thought. He also knew if he won the fight and killed Sonny, Jason would kill him. He didn't honestly know if it would bother Jason to kill him; however, he held no illusions to the fact that Jason would not hesitate to avenge his friend's death. The business they were in would demand that he avenge Sonny. Even if it didn't, he knew that Jason would feel the need out of a sense of loyalty. Jason tended to be annoyingly quiet and abrupt but he was loyal and always did what he said he would. He wasn't sure that he could say that he liked Jason but he didn't dislike it either. Regardless, it was easy for Johnny to respect him.

"You guys can unpack everything and put it back where it belongs," Jason announced with an apologetic smile. Johnny shrugged and picked up a box and headed toward the kitchen without a word. Sam, however, was not about to be that compliant. She gave Jason a dirty look before grabbing a box and stomping her way up the stairs.

It was clear from the expression on his face that Sam's actions had perturbed Sonny. Jason was amused. He did not mind her showing her irritation in her look or even stomping off like a spoiled child. In the end, she did what she was told and was good at her job. That was what Jason cared about.

"You are going to have problems with her attitude someday." Sonny stated quietly as he helped Carly into her coat.

Jason nodded briefly. "Probably but I don't think it will be anytime soon. I think our recent encounter in still fresh in her mind."

"Yours too," Sonny commented as he stepped away from Carly and leaned in close to Jason. "You did what you had to do and you did it without harming her. It was a win-win situation. Stop feeling guilty about it."

"I terrorized someone weaker than me, which is bad enough Sonny. The fact that it was a woman makes me a bully of the worst sort."

"No it doesn't," his friend replied immediately. "This is a mean business Jason. She knew the risks when she signed on. You and I took great pains to make sure she knew what she was getting into. She assured us that she knew what she was doing. She also made it clear that she did not want, nor would she accept, any special treatment because she was a woman. I liked the way you handled questioning her about her contact with the police. It was very creative."

Jason nodded. He felt better about things. He did not like that weird feeling in the pit of his stomach when things were tense between him and Sonny or Carly.

He could almost feel his diaphragm relax and allow him to breathe easier. It always felt that way when things were well in his world again. This feeling he liked and really wished that it could stay that way all the time. It wouldn't of course. Life tended to be messy.

_**Author's Note**__**: There is still much more to come in this story. Thanks to all of you who are following it. Your reviews are greatly appreciated. I do enjoy reading every one of them. Please keep them coming!**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**Author's Note**__**:**____**Once again it has taken me awhile to post another chapter. I would apologize for it but I imagine people are tired of reading it. I am sorry though. A lot has been going on lately. Things are beginning to show signs of settling down though and I am hopeful. It may take me awhile to get chapters sometimes but I assure you I will not abandon this story. I will stick with it until it is completed! Your continued patience, and reviews of course, are greatly appreciated!**_

It had taken nearly an hour after everyone had left the penthouse before Jason felt the last of the tension in his neck and arms finally go away. It had been a hard day. It had also been a crazy day since he and Robin had returned to town and he was glad for the chance to relax and unwind before going to bed. Jason was just about to open his second beer and play another game of pool when he heard his phone ring.

"Is this day ever going to end?" Jason groused outloud as he crossed the room and picked up his cell phone from the desk where he had deposited it earlier.

A smile played at the corners of his mouth as he glanced at the caller display. It was the home phone of Mac Scorpio. He was certain the only one there who wanted to talk to him was Robin.

"How's the family?" Jason asked eagerly as he flipped his phone open.

"Um, okay, I think," came the surprised male voice on the other end. It took Jason a moment to realize that it was Robin's uncle.

"Sorry, Mac. I was expecting Robin." Jason replied immediately.

"I take it Robin isn't there then?" Mac asked as some concern creeped into his voice.

"No, I haven't heard from her since I dropped her off. Why would you think she would be here?" Jason asked as he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He immediately picked up the land line and began dialing it. "Hold on Mac, let me check something."

Jason set his cell phone on the desk and put the receiver from his home phone to his ear. His call was answered immediately.

"Do you have eyes on her?" Jason demanded from one of the guards assigned to watch Robin.

"We've had eyes on her since she left her uncle's house. Right now she's alone on pier 25 watching the ships in the inner shipping lanes and staring at the water." The guard assured his obviously worried boss.

"Did she spot you yet?" Jason asked as the relief that she was still guarded flooded him. He nodded to himself as he awaited the response. He already knew the answer.

"Yes. She exited the house by the rear door. She stopped at the car and told us, 'come on guys we are going to the docks to watch the boats.' We were being pretty careful so I am surprised she spotted us so easily."

"I'll explain it later but she is almost as good as me at spotting a tail. Stay on her and call me if she leaves before I get there."

Jason hung up the phone without waiting for a response and picked the cell phone up from the desk.

"The guards are with her Mac," Jason said without preamble.

"Good. Where is she?"

Jason shook his head for a minute and then realized that Mac couldn't see him. "I'll let her tell you if she wants to when she gets home. She is safe though."

On the other end Mac was clenching his fist and really wanting to hit someone and Jason seemed like a good possibility. Had they been in the same room he might have actually tried it. Instead he tried to calm down but he was sure Jason could hear the displeasure in his voice.

"I want her home before dark," Mac spat into the phone.

"She is a grown woman. She will come back when she is ready. Unless you hear differently from me all is well and she is being guarded." Jason stated evenly just before he hung up the phone.

Next he shoved the cell phone into the front pocket of his jeans and the grabbed his car keys from off the desk. He grabbed his jacket as he hurried out the door to go see Robin. In the parking garage he once again eschewed his motorcycle and climbed into his SUV.

"I had to get out of there Jason." Robin stated softly as she heard and felt Jason approach. "We barely got through dinner before they all started yelling at each other. It was like watching one of the Quartermaine family fights."

"Not quite," Jason said as he came to stand right next to her. He was within a couple of inches of her but he did not initiate any physical contact with her. "The Quartermaine's never would have made it through dinner. Their food goes cold on the table while they try to inflict as much verbal damage as possible on each other at the top of their lungs."

"I couldn't stand to hear them going after each other like that. I thought it might come to physical blows or something. I probably should have stayed to make sure they didn't hurt each other but I didn't think about that. My mind kept saying 'get out now' and so I did."

"Mac called the penthouse looking for you. When I saw the caller id I thought it was you and asked how the family was. He told me that everyone seems fine." Jason felt the breeze come in off the water and saw Robin shiver ever so slightly. He immediately took off his leather jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thank you. You are always such a gentleman."

"Not even close," Jason laughed softly. "I am not like that to most people. I honestly care about you, that is the difference."

"You used to love me," Robin stated very softly as she looked purposefully into the water.

"Yeah, things change though. We both know that."

Robin whirled around quickly and stared at him for nearly 15 seconds, the dismay evident on her face. Then she noticed the glint in his eyes and the smallest beginning of a smile playing at the right corner of his mouth.

"You are awful!" Robin announced as she slugged Jason playfully in the arm. He laughed and pulled her in for a full hug.

"I never stopped loving you," Jason whispered softly in her ear as he held her tight.

"Same here," Robin told him as she stayed in his embrace. She was comfortable there and wanted it to last.

They pulled apart a few minutes later when they heard Jason's cell phone ring. Robin wanted to groan because the timing really sucked. She was enjoying their closeness and did not want it to end. Instead of groaning she stepped closer to the water to watch the ships going by and give Jason a little privacy.

Reaching for his phone, Jason rolled his eyes and wondered again if this night would ever end. Not that he wanted to be away from Robin. It was quite the opposite, he would have preferred everyone and everything leave them alone so they could just enjoy being together.

"Yeah?" Jason said as he answered his annoying cell phone.

Robin heard Jason move even further away and realized immediately that his phone call was work related. She had been pretty sure of that before he even answered the phone. Jason was always careful to shield her from his business as much as possible. It surprised her, a moment later, when she heard him approaching her despite the fact that he was still on the phone.

"Leave it alone for now. Call Bernie and have the guards doubled on all Sonny's kids. I will advise Sonny of what is happening. I want you guys to get down to pier 25 to pick up me and Robin."

At the mention of her name Robin had turned toward Jason. She watched him hang up his phone and noted that his expression was blank and unreadable. It didn't matter though. Robin didn't need his expression to confirm her assessment. She had felt the sudden disconnection of the link that she and Jason seemed to have and knew that he had severed it when he shifted into his enforcer mode.

"What happened Jason?" Robin asked quietly. She was concerned but not really frightened yet. She had been through a lot of this while they were living together and knew instinctively that Jason was concerned but not yet alarmed.

"There is a security issue right now. Can I hold you hostage for 24 hours while I assess the level of the threat?"

"Sure, if you really need to." Robin told him immediately. "You think this is directed at me?"

"Honestly Robin, I am not sure exactly what is happening yet but until I am sure I want you in a secure location. We have my penthouse, Sonny's compound, or a safe house. What is your preference?"

"You listed them in the order I would prefer. Can we go by Uncle Mac's and get my laptop?"

"I will make arrangements to have it brought over tonight along with your HIV medications." Jason assured her quickly. He was relieved that she was being so cooperative without being terribly frightened.

They both heard the footsteps signaling the approach of someone else to the pier. With lightening fast speed Jason pulled his gun from the waist band of his jeans and moved in front of Robin.

She had seen him in his enforcer mode before, but it still always surprised her at how fast he was. She knew his senses were on heightened alert and that adrenaline was flooding his body, it was a normal human reaction to danger. The difference was that Jason Morgan did not feel fear when facing dangerous situations. He felt alive. The more dangerous the situation was, the more alive he felt.

"Just me boss," Jason heard Frankie say as he stepped into view and noticed Jason had his gun out.

Jason waved him in and put his gun back into his waistband. Instead he turned and put a protective arm around Robin to assure her that everything was okay at the moment.

"Any trouble?" Jason asked as Frankie and several other guards arrived at the pier.

"No trouble on the way over. The only sign of trouble was the device I told you about."

"Good. Have one of the guys sweep my SUV carefully and bring it over to Sonny's. I want you and Pete to take me and Robin to Sonny's immediately."

Subconsciously Robin's hands moved to her stomach. Jason gave her a reassuring smile. He held one of her hands as they walked to the car so Frankie and Pete could take them to Sonny's house.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for reading this chapter. I hoped you enjoyed it. Your reviews will be greatly appreciated!**_


	24. Chapter 24

The ride to Sonny's was uneventful. Robin noticed the additional guards as they arrived at the gate. As soon as one of the guards noticed Jason in the back seat they hurried to usher them in.

Jason just nodded at Max as he and Robin entered the house. Without saying a word, Jason and Robin headed toward the study. As soon as he noticed them, Sonny put down his drink and gave Robin a hug. Silently, he nodded hello to Jason. Jason nodded back.

"Always good to see you Robin. Graciella is making some herbal tea for you and will bring it in a few minutes. Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Robin smiled warmly at her friend and shook her head. Sonny was always so gracious. Over the years since Stone died, Sonny had donated generous amounts of money to the Aids wing at GH in his name. Regardless of whether it was a personal or professional cause Sonny had always donated to any project that Robin had taken on.

"You want a drink?" Sonny asked Jason as Max shut the doors to the study allowing the three friends all the privacy they needed.

"No, I'm good." Jason replied as he guided Robin to the couch and then sat next to her.

"So, what trigged the additional security? Carly has already called demanding to know what is going on. I assured her that one of us would call her when the threat level had been assessed." Sonny said as he carried his drink to the chair directly across from his friends and sat down.

"As part of the security on Robin, I am having her car swept for explosives twice a day. The guards checking it tonight noticed something strange and called Jack to investigate it further. Jack found that Robin's car had a tracking device installed. He said that it was a professional job and they had piggy-backed off the On-Star. Whoever did this was able to monitor her locations and any phone calls she made using the On-Star." Jason announced.

He was simultaneously watching both Sonny and Robin for their reactions. Robin would insist on being kept in the loop but Jason didn't want to upset her anymore than necessary. He didn't want to run the risk of endangering her pregnancy.

Robin's reaction was muted. She stiffened slightly but that was all. Jason casually placed a hand on the top of her leg and gave her a gentle pat. Robin reached over and held tightly to the hand while looking up to smile at him. He knew she was okay.

Sonny gave no visible reaction to the news. A moment later he turned to the study doors as the trio heard a knock. Sonny's housekeeper Graciella came in with the herbal tea for Robin. Sensing the tension in the room she set the tea on the end table next to Robin before exiting the room and shutting the doors discreetly behind her.

"Someone wants information. They weren't trying to hurt her." Sonny stated thoughtfully as he watched Robin add a sugar and some milk to her tea.

Jason nodded. He was watching Robin to see if her hands shook as she fixed her tea. They did not. Her strength and courage really impressed him. It had always impressed him from the time he 'met' her after waking up from his coma. She was eighteen and barely out of high school and she had strength and courage in abundance even then.

"You have a plan?" Sonny asked Jason. He was pretty sure his enforcer had been working one up in the back of his mind since being informed about the tracking device.

"Yeah. I want to draw out our hackers with a bait and switch." Jason assured him immediately.

Sonny nodded. He had been sure Jason had a plan and he had been fairly certain that he would suggest a bait and switch. It was what Sonny had been thinking as well.

"Sounds good." Sonny said as he continued to nod. "How soon are you thinking?"

"In the morning. I need Sam to pick up some supplies tonight such as identical outfits for her and Robin and stuff like that."

"You will need at least two others besides Sam to brace them." Sonny said quietly. He knew Jason already knew that. He was also sure that Jason had already mentally picked out his team. They were talking it out to bounce ideas off each other. They were also making sure Robin knew the plan too.

"I am going to use three for the brace. It will be me and John Zacchara in separate cars to box them in. Then one in the back seat of Robin's car to help Sam if there is a problem." Jason stated.

"I like it." Sonny responded immediately. He and Jason had worked together for so many years now that they usually knew what the other would suggest. It was a familiarity that gave Sonny peace. He knew that Jason would die to protect his family and usually knew exactly what he was going to do before he did it.

A few minutes later Jason excused himself to step outside and begin making phone calls to get everyone started on their assignments. Sonny engaged Robin in idle conversation to steer her mind away from the trouble that had plagued her since the night her husband was murdered. In the back of his mind he was assessing her. He wanted to make sure that she was really alright. Robin meant so much to him. Except for Jason, no one else really understood how much he and Robin meant to each other. They had bonded over Stone. They each gained comfort from the shared experience and the certainty that nothing could break the bond between them.

"Are you trying to divert my attention from the trouble Sonny?" Robin asked pointedly a moment later. Sonny smiled warmly at her.

"A little I guess." Sonny admitted. "We've advised you of the problem and given you our plan to fix it. I am sure Jason will go over it in detail later tonight or in the morning. Unless you have any questions now, I just figured we had covered that area and could move on to more pleasant topics."

"I appreciate how much you and Jason shared tonight. I know that anything having to do with business is off limits and I am content to keep it that way. However, this is not strictly business, it is very personal too. Just don't start underestimating me.." Robin stopped talking and yawned loudly.

She looked up and smiled as Jason reentered the room and headed toward the couch to sit by her. She was glad that he was back. He was still in enforcer mode and so the connection between them remained severed. Robin was beginning to understand why it upset Jason so when she withdrew into herself and he couldn't feel her anymore. She wished the connection that had them tethered together would return soon.

"I'm sorry," Robin said a moment later. "I get tired a lot these days."

"No apology necessary. I remember Carly and Alexis carrying my kids and they needed a lot of sleep too. You've had a pretty exhausting day." Sonny assured her quickly.

"I know you are worried about me and I honestly do appreciate it. I am not going to say I can do this on my own or don't want your help. I want and need both of you to help me through this. I just want you to remember that I am tougher than you think." Robin finished with a smile and another slight yawn.

"Yes you are!" Sonny agreed quickly. "I have plenty of room of upstairs for you. Pick a room and make yourself at home."

"I've already arranged for the additional security and stuff so that Robin can stay at the penthouse with me." Jason announced immediately.

Sonny nodded. He was not surprised that Jason wanted Robin to stay with him. It was then that he noticed that he had not taken a single sip of the drink he poured earlier. He decided that he did not really want it and would simply leave it there for his housekeeper to clean up in the morning.

"The SUV was just delivered. It was checked and double checked and is all clear. I am having all our vehicles checked twice a day from now on." Jason stated matter-of-factly to Sonny. He watched Sonny nod and knew there would be no verbal response. None was necessary.

Jason turned to Robin and smiled at her. "We can go when you are ready. It has been a long day for you."

Robin nodded and started to stand. Immediately Jason offered his hand to assist her in getting up.

"I still say you are a perfect gentleman," Robin said with a playful look.

"You are just saying that because you want to wear my jacket home," Jason responded as he helped Robin into his leather jacket.

Sonny watched his friends playfulness as they readied themselves for the drive to Jason's penthouse. It suddenly occurred to him that they were working their way back to each other. He seriously doubted that either of them had acknowleged that fact yet but Sonny could see it very clearly.

Or did he see it because he wanted to? He believed it would be a good thing for both of them if they got back together. They each seemed much happier when they were a couple.

Wisely, Sonny decided to keep his observations and hopes to himself and simply said goodbye as he watched his friends depart.

_**Author's Note:**__** Thanks for continuing to read this story. Your continued patronage is appreciated. Please leave a review, they are eagerly read!**_


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